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Freelancers in the UAE banned? What's going on?

Freelancers in the UAE banned? What's going on?
Co-Founder & CEO movingo
Editor
Author
Iakov Kukushkin
Copywriter, Journalist
Jun 25, 2025
About a month ago, there was some buzz about Dubai's Free Zones (Dubai Media City, Internet City, Knowledge Park, Design District) stopping issuing visas to freelancers.Users of the Gofreelance platform, where freelancers apply for visas, started sharing on social media that they had received emails saying that visa issuance was suspended for an unspecified period. Gofreelance linked these restrictions with the UAE immigration department's decision.
Is this really the case?

On June 24th, a user named Pretty-Crow2869 posted a response from GoFreelance. They are saying that the visa service has been indefinitely suspended.

We decided to check it out and got confirmation on the phone, and then we went to the company's office and approved it again.
We can't say for sure if that's actually happening. It's possible that it's just temporary, either by the immigration office or GoFreelance, perhaps due to technical issues or something else. But if you're applying for or planning to apply for a visa soon, just keep this in mind. On top of those Free Zones, there are other ways to do business as a freelancer in the UAE. You could set up a company, for example. We're here to help you figure out which option is best for you.

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