Women now account for nearly half of all UAE visa applicants, says Khaleej Times report

Visa service providers are reporting a marked rise in applications submitted by women, who represented “almost 50 percent” of all UAE visa seekers in 2025, according to industry data cited by Khaleej Times on 4 January 2026. Safety, career prospects and the country’s expanding remote-work visa options were highlighted as primary drivers.

Anastasia Yanchenko, CEO of The Visa Services Agency, noted that repeat business-travel enquiries from female professionals rose 27 percent year-on-year, while leisure-travel applications climbed 33 percent. The trend dovetails with the UAE’s push to diversify tourism segments and its high-profile campaigns promoting solo female travel safety.



For global mobility teams, the data suggests a pipeline of female talent willing to accept UAE postings, particularly under the new five-year Green Visa and one-year Remote Work Visa schemes. HR managers should therefore audit accommodation policies—ensuring safe-housing stipends and transport allowances—to stay competitive in attracting female assignees.

The report also hints at broader social change: more women are acting as principal visa sponsors for dependants, challenging traditional assumptions in relocation programmes. Companies may need to revisit spousal-support frameworks and schooling allowances to align with this demographic shift.