During the first quarter of 2023, more than 450,000 Pakistanis have leftfor various countries, largely due to the economic crisis and inflation.This has compelled a significant portion of Pakistan’s youth to seekopportunities abroad, including scholarships and employment. As a result,passport offices and immigration centers have seen an increased outflow ofapplicants, with long queues becoming a common sight.
A senior official from the Department of Passports and Immigration hasreported a nearly twofold rise in passport applications in recent months,mostly from individuals seeking employment opportunities in the Middle Eastand other countries.
However, despite the department’s capacity to issue 25,000 to 27,000passports daily, there is still a daily backlog of applications rangingfrom 13,000 to 15,000.
Private companies handling visa applications for certain embassies havealso experienced a significant increase in the number of applications.
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The British Council has noted a substantial surge in applications for bothstudent and work visas, to the extent that they are now organizing threeIELTS tests (a required language test for visa applicants) every week. Thelast exam had 2,500 visa candidates, and these numbers have continued torise over the past two months.
The exodus of skilled workers from Pakistan has raised concerns amongexperts, as it represents a potential loss of valuable human capital and abrain drain. However, some argue that the remittances sent back to Pakistanby these workers can play a vital role in bolstering the country’s economy.