Around 13,000 to 15,000 Pakistani students go to the United Kingdom for permanent residence every year, a Foreign Office (FO) official told the Senate on Friday.

“Every year, 13,000 to 15,000 Pakistani students go to the UK for permanent residence,” a FO representative told the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis in a meeting chaired by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada.

“Pakistani students prefer to settle in the UK rather than return to the country,” the official added.

“These students are willing to work even for minimum wage.”

According to the official, Pakistani students then become part of the UK labour market.

The FO representative told the panel that there are currently 1.8 million Pakistanis living in the UK.

“Pakistani citizens face difficulties [in the UK] due to lack of English proficiency,” the official added.

Earlier in the week, UK’s government launched e-visas for Pakistani students and workers as part of an “enhanced” border and immigration system.

The announcement came just a day after the two countries formally signed the Trade Dialogue Mechanism Agreement and decided to establish the UK-Pakistan Business Advisory Council to institutionalise bilateral economic cooperation.

On Wednesday, the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, thereby allowing Pakistani airlines to now apply to operate flights to the UK.

In May, a British government official said that the government may restrict visa applications from students living in countries — including Pakistan — that are considered most likely to claim asylum in a move designed to bring down annual net migration.

The move came after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party was punished in local elections in England last week by voters angry over issues, including illegal immigration.