The United Arab Emirates has said it will grant employment visas only to foreigners with at least a secondary education, reported Reuters.
Labor and Social Affairs Minister Humaid al-Tayer was on Tuesday quoted by newspapers as saying employment visas "will now be issued only to those who possess at least secondary education."
He said the new requirement aimed to further stem the flow of foreign unskilled laborers into the UAE, where foreigners are thought to make around 70 percent of the 2.76 population.
Tayer said a ban imposed last year on unskilled workers from India and Pakistan remained in force, but that the latest condition would apply to all nationalities, said the agency.
Laborers from South Asia make up most of the unskilled workforce in the UAE, which has a large professional and unskilled expatriate community.
According to Reuters, the government has been encouraging businesses to employ more UAE citizens rather than foreigners.
Asians living in the emirate make up 50 percent of the overall population of about 2.5 million - Albawaba.com
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