No ban on tourist visas for blue-collar workers

A top Ministry of Interior official has denied media reports of a ban of tourist visas for unskilled workers. Major General Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, Assistant Undersecretary for Naturalisation and Residency, and Ports Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, said Departments of Naturalisation and Residency across the country were processing visit visa transactions for would-be applicants in consistence with standard procedures. He lashed out at some media outlets which published these untrue news that were drawn from unofficial and unreliable sources. He explained that any new procedures would be announced to the public beforehand and be posted on the ministry’s website or released to the media by the Security Information Department.