IT is a pragmatic response to the various immigration-related issues that had been accumulating. On Tuesday, Pakistan and the UAE agreed to pursue a formal agreement on pre-immigration clearance for Pakistanis travelling to the Gulf state, with a pilot to be launched at the Karachi airport. If this arrangement materialises, those travelling to the UAE will complete immigration formalities in Pakistan before their departure, which will allow them to avoid processing upon arrival in the UAE and, possibly, exit airports quickly. On the other hand, the UAE authorities will benefit from enhanced border security as Pakistani officials will, in effect, be helping them curb visa misuse. It is positive that Pakistan is moving towards this arrangement as it has a large diaspora population in the UAE, which sends vital remittances. The Gulf nation is a major destination for our labour exports, and the initiative comes amid long-standing visa restrictions and processing delays for citizens wishing to travel to the UAE. As trust is gradually restored between the authorities of both nations, it is hoped that the unofficial restrictions placed on issuance of visas over the past few years will ease, allowing for easier travel.

Pakistani authorities should be aware of what the UAE expects. There had reportedly been numerous complaints from Emirati authorities about Pakistanis overstaying their visit visas, engaging in unauthorised work or resorting to begging. It was these frustrations, one may surmise, that eventually led to visa restrictions being tightened for Pakistani travellers. The UAE will expect that the Pakistani officials screening travellers at the airports will profile visa holders appropriately and prevent miscreants from boarding a plane. A preliminary form of this vetting mechanism was introduced a few months ago, but it gave rise to much discontentment as the process was not adequately structured or transparent. Over 66,000 passengers heading to different destinations were offloaded in 2025 by the FIA’s own account. Many complained they were offloaded arbitrarily. Now that they will be screening formally, immigration authorities here will need to step up their service delivery to ensure a smooth experience for legitimate passengers. There should be no more frustration, even as strict security standards are maintained. If executed well, the arrangement could serve as a model for bilateral agreements with other Gulf states that have complained of similar issues.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2026