FIA tells NA panel illegal migration networks exploiting visit, study visas

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior that illegal migration through visit and study visa routes had become a major challenge, with organised networks facilitating the movement of Pakistanis to Europe and other destinations.

The committee, chaired by MNA Raja Khurram Nawaz, met to discuss immigration and border management issues. During the meeting, consideration of the Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill was postponed.

Briefing the committee, FIA Director General Usman Anwar said illegal border crossings and attempts to reach Europe through transit routes involving Dubai and Cambodia had emerged as a significant problem.

He said study visas were increasingly being misused to remain in foreign countries illegally. According to the FIA chief, migrants were also using routes through South Africa, island nations and Spain, while organised networks continued to facilitate illegal movement.

"The agency keeps a close watch on illegal human trafficking," Anwar told the committee, adding that FIA regularly reviewed policy developments and submitted reports every 15 days on migration trends and risks associated with travel to various countries.

He said not every traveller was allowed to leave the country without scrutiny, stressing that immigration officials checked all relevant travel documents and requirements before departure.

The DG FIA said Malaysia had become another transit point, with travellers later attempting to move onward through illegal channels.

He noted that many first-time travellers from areas such as Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin often lacked basic knowledge about foreign destinations, currencies and local conditions.

Anwar told lawmakers that Cambodian authorities had informed Pakistan about the arrest of Pakistani nationals involved in illegal migration attempts. He said many travellers initially flew to Thailand on visit visas before attempting to cross into Cambodia.

The FIA chief said the issue had previously been raised in the National Assembly and videos highlighting the illegal migration routes had also surfaced.

Presenting immigration data for 2025, Anwar said the number of Pakistanis deported from abroad had declined by 60 percent due to stricter monitoring and preventive measures.

He acknowledged that Pakistani passports often faced greater scrutiny at foreign airports than at domestic airports, prompting some travellers to misuse or attempt to obtain foreign travel documents.

The FIA is also working on advance passenger information and passenger name record (PNR) visibility systems to identify suspicious travel patterns, he said. As an example, he noted that some passengers travelling to countries such as Azerbaijan had been cancelling their return flights after arrival.

To strengthen immigration controls, the FIA is introducing e-gates and mobile applications while upgrading its data management systems. Anwar said the agency had developed its own e-B application, enabling citizens to access their travel history online from home.

He said the application could not initially be uploaded to the Google Play Store due to technical issues but had been made available through the FIA website.

The DG FIA said the agency had replaced an older immigration management system with a locally developed platform linked to the National Database and Registration Authority and the passport authorities.

According to Anwar, the new system is providing comprehensive passenger data and the upgraded control section will become fully operational on June 12.

He added that facilitation measures had been introduced at zonal offices and airports to allow travellers to obtain advance information and avoid difficulties during immigration processing.