ExPATS CLAIM CANCELLATION OF PERMITS

Several Indian expatriates who were hoping to fly into the UAE over the weekend have said their ICA permits were ‘cancelled’ owing to the new PCR-test regulations.

Passengers flying from Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata to Abu Dhabi have said they have not been allowed to board since Wednesday due to the ICA approval being on hold due to the PCR test-related confusion. Vishu Pillai, one such passenger, said: “I am holding a valid Abu Dhabi residence visa. On July 20, I got approval from the ICA. I got the Covid-19 negative test result from an Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) accredited lab. I was planning to travel on Etihad Airways. Now, I do not know what to do.”

However, some expats with ICA approvals said they were able to travel seamlessly on Thursday. An Indian expat and media professional C.R. (name withheld at request) said he returned from Mumbai to Dubai at 10am on Thursday.

“I have been stranded in Mumbai since February 22. I had a Covid-19 negative test result from an ICMR-accredited centre in Mumbai. Though I got an e-mail from the ICA that said I needed to update by PCR test from centres listed on Pure Health, I was allowed to travel. I landed at Dubai airport where I underwent another PCR test,” said CR.