Thousands may miss Ramadan Umrah as S/Arabia fails to issue visas

Thousands of intending pilgrims from Nigeria may miss the 2024 Ramadan Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia over the decision of the authorities to stop issuing Umrah visas, Daily Trust can report.

Already, the development is fueling anxiety and agitation from intending pilgrims with the Ramadan fasting crossing 11.

Also, hajj and Umrah operators may be exposed to huge financial losses from hotel bookings in Makkah and Madinah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Daily Trust reliably gathered that several flights meant to convey intending pilgrims for the Umrah exercise are already being cancelled or rescheduled.

A source told our correspondent that a flight that was supposed to depart from Kano to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with over 300 intending Umrah pilgrims, failed to leave because most of the passengers could not secure their visas.

Daily Trust reports that the Ramadan is an Umrah season in Nigeria and other countries around the world as Muslims strive to spend the last 10 days of the one-month fasting in Saudi Arabia to perform lesser hajj.

But this year, the plan of many Muslims is threatened by the decision of the Saudi authorities not to issue visas to the intending pilgrims with many of them already agitated.

In Kano, hundreds of Umrah intending pilgrims are still waiting to get entry visas to perform lesser hajj.

Agents finger new policy

Some travel agents blamed the situation on a new visa policy introduced by authorities in the Saudi kingdom.

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Kano Zonal Chairman, Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON), Haruna Ismail, said the visa policy with three months validity and two weeks duration of stay is responsible for the current slow issuance of the visa for intending Umrah pilgrims.

Ismail said many pilgrims had secured the visa since Rajab (the 7th month in the Islamic calendar) but delayed entry till Ramadan (the 9th month) because the visa has three months validity.

According to him, some pilgrims overstayed their duration in the kingdom because they did not fully understand the concept of three months validity.

“Once a client pays for an Umrah package and his visa is delayed or not given, then we have to either reschedule his ticket or refund his money and either way is a loss,” the agent explained.

Similarly, Abdulaziz Sabitu Mohammed, AHUON Vice Chairman, said more than 7, 000 Umrah intending pilgrims have secured visas but did not enter the kingdom.

He said 260 of his clients have their air tickets ready but no visa yet, adding that only about 40 clients have secured visas for this year’s lesser hajj unlike the previous years.

“From our estimation last year, Saudi Arabia received more than 25 million Umrah pilgrims out of which, three million performed Umrah in Ramadan, but this year, because of the new visa policy, three months validity and duration of stay of two weeks instead of one month, made many to overstay in the Kingdom. There were people who visited since Sha’aban (8th month) and stayed after performing the Umrah,” he said.

Mohammed said they have discussed the issue with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, and hopefully, before the middle of Ramadan, the problem will be resolved.

Thousands may miss Ramadan Umrah as S/Arabia fails to issue visas