• Immigration checks to be completed in Pakistan before departure
• Travellers to bypass routine immigration on arrival in UAE
• Karachi chosen for pilot phase; system to be expanded later to other cities
• NA resolution demands probe into offloading of documented passengers
KARACHI: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday agreed to pursue a formal agreement on “pre-immigration clearance” for Pakistani nationals travelling to the Gulf country, the Ministry of Interior said.
Under the proposed arrangement, immigration formalities would be completed in Pakistan before departure, allowing passengers to avoid routine immigration processing on arrival in the UAE.
The decision was taken during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and a UAE delegation led by Director General of Customs and Port Security Ahmed bin Lahij Al Falasi, according to a statement.
“The immigration process for passengers will be completed in Pakistan before travel,” Mr Naqvi was quoted as saying, adding that travellers would be able to exit UAE airports “like domestic passengers” once the system is in place.
The ministry said the initiative would be launched as a pilot project, with the first phase to begin in Karachi. Mr Naqvi voiced optimism that the new system will “facilitate travel and improve the overall travel experience”. However, he did not mention any date for the commencement of the pilot project.
The UAE delegation expressed support for the initiative and agreed to coordinate with Pakistani authorities on the administrative and technical arrangements. The system would be expanded to other cities after the pilot phase in Karachi, it added.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Interior Secretary Khurram Agha were also present at the meeting.
Visa restrictions
The announcement comes as Pakistanis have faced difficulties obtaining UAE visas over the past year.
In November 2025, Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry told a Senate functional committee that the UAE was not issuing visas to Pakistanis. He had also said Saudi Arabia and the UAE had “stopped short of imposing a ban on the Pakistani passport”.
In early July last year, reports of visa rejections prompted Mr Naqvi to take up the matter with his UAE counterpart. In a meeting that month, UAE Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan assured Mr Naqvi of “full support” in expediting visas for Pakistani citizens, according to an official account of the talks.
In April, UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi said visa issues had been resolved and Pakistanis could avail a five-year visa.
In January 2025, Overseas Employment Promoter Aisam Baig told the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis that some visas to the UAE had been “unofficially closed”.
He said that the UAE had concerns about Pakistanis travelling on visit visas and resorting to begging. However, the committee’s chairman, Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, said there were “no restrictions on work visas” for Pakistanis travelling to the UAE.
NA resolution on offloading
Separately, the National Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the offloading of documented passengers at various airports across the country.
The resolution, moved by PPP MNA Agha Rafiullah, called on the government to investigate incidents in which passengers were stopped from boarding flights despite possessing valid travel documents. It also urged “administrative reforms to ensure transparency, accountability and the protection of passenger rights”, and called for better communication so that offloading decisions are lawful and properly documented.
PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri later described the issue as “very important”, saying people travelling abroad for work or education were living in fear despite having complete documentation, and urged the government to take action.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has linked the offloading of passengers to a crackdown on migrant smuggling, saying travellers with incomplete or unverified documents were being stopped.
In mid-December, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the issue and formed a “special committee” to examine it. Earlier this month, Mr Naqvi directed the FIA to tighten screening of travel documents at airports.
In the first week of December, Mr Naqvi had said 50 to 70 passengers were being offloaded daily to protect the country’s passport reputation — a figure that, at an average of 60 a day, would total under 22,000 in a year. However, official figures put the number of offloaded passengers in 2025 at three times higher, ie 66,000.
According to FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar Raja, 51,000 of those stopped were offloaded due to insufficient or unverified documentation.
Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2026