Worry and uncertainty have swept through Egypt’s large expatriate community in the United Arab Emirates after dozens of Egyptian nationals saw their long-term residency permits abruptly revoked earlier this month, leaving many stranded outside the country and locked out of the careers they built in the Gulf state.
Multiple Egyptian residents working across diverse sectors in the UAE have shared accounts of unexpected permit cancellations that have disrupted livelihoods and blocked their return to employment. Online discussions among the community have also pointed to a newly enforced requirement for an updated Police Clearance Certificate for Egyptian work permit holders, a rule that has complicated job transitions and travel plans for Egyptians hoping to visit their home country. Notably, no official amendments to UAE residency regulations targeting Egyptian citizens have been publicly announced by Emirati authorities to date.
One of the most high-profile accounts shared with regional outlet The New Arab comes from Mahmud Adel, a 33-year-old schoolteacher based in Sharjah. Adel traveled back to Egypt in July for his annual family vacation, and three weeks into his trip, he received an out-of-the-blue email from his employer notifying him that his residency status had been canceled. “This was shocking, because the administration didn’t mention any reasons for the residency cancellation,” Adel told the publication.
A second Egyptian national, 36-year-old interior decorator Abdel Rahman Ahmed, faced a similar disruption when he arrived at Cairo Airport preparing to board his return flight to Abu Dhabi after a trip home. It was only at airport immigration that he learned his UAE residency had been revoked. “At first, I couldn’t believe it, but I tried to contact the company in Abu Dhabi,” Ahmed said. When company officials failed to respond to his repeated calls and messages, the incident brought an abrupt end to his eight-year career working in the Emirates.
Stories like these have spread rapidly across social media platforms, amplifying anxiety among the broader Egyptian expat community. Many Egyptians who currently hold valid UAE residency have opted to cancel planned trips to Egypt out of fear that they will also be locked out upon attempting to return. “I’m scared that if I travel anywhere, I’ll be one of the unlucky people,” one Egyptian resident wrote on Reddit, echoing a sentiment shared by dozens of other commenters on the platform. Even expatriate business owners have put off travel to Egypt for the same reason, with uncertainty hanging over the entire community.
Official data from the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi puts the total number of Egyptians living and working in the UAE at roughly 1.3 million as of the end of 2024. Remittances from this large expat community are a critical economic lifeline for Egypt: the country recorded $43.1 billion in remittances from overseas workers in the first 11 months of the 2025-26 fiscal year, a large share of which comes from Egyptians based in the Gulf.
The UAE and Egypt have maintained close strategic and economic ties for decades, with the UAE ranking among the largest foreign investors in the North African nation. In recent years, however, quiet disagreements have emerged between the two states over key regional conflicts, most notably the ongoing civil war in Sudan, where the two allies have backed opposing sides in the fighting.
Multiple regional media outlets, including Middle East Eye, have requested comment from Emirati official bodies on the wave of permit cancellations and the unannounced policy shifts, but as of publication, no official response has been issued.