The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has reported a 16% increase in the prevention of irregular migration attempts from the country in 2024, based on new border management systems developed with the support of ICMPD and international donors.
FIA’s Annual Report shows 27,432 passengers – 16% increase from 2023 – were prevented from leaving Pakistan on suspicion of irregular migration in 2024. The agency cited the strengthened detection and prevention of irregular border crossings on a new Risk Analysis Unit and second line immigration offices. This increased number of detections resulted from the development of specific risk profiles for irregular migration routes by the Risk Analysis Unit, coupled with their application at border crossings by second line offices.
Established at major airports including Lahore, Multan, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad, the second line immigration offices are staffed by trained officials and equipped with advanced forensic tools to detect fraudulent travel documents. This is complemented by Pakistan’s first-ever Risk Analysis Unit, which now continuously develops a risk matrix to guide field units in the profiling of suspicious passengers.
The reduction in irregular migration from Pakistan was also matched by a significant drop in the number of asylum seekers and irregular arrivals into the European Union from Pakistan in 2024, after peaking in 2023. Asylum applications went down by more than 32%; while detections of irregular crossings fell by over 37%, representing the single largest decrease among all nationalities detected last year.
The risks of irregular migration were highlighted in recent months by a series of boats capsizing in the Mediterranean, resulting in the death of about 80 Pakistanis. The FIA’s detections with Pakistan potentially prevent such a tragedy.
While multiple factors contribute to irregular migration trends, these positive results show that through international partnerships and the right technical capacity, it is possible for border agencies such as the FIA to make migration safer for all.says Fawad Haider, ICMPD Head of Office in Pakistan
These outcomes resulted from the ongoing support from international partners through funding of a broad programme aimed to strengthen Pakistan’s border and migration management frameworks. The European Union has provided international leadership since 2019 through the IBM Silk Routes and RAPAK projects, which directly led to the establishment of the second line immigration office and Risk Analysis Unit respectively. This was complemented by partnerships with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Austrian Ministry of the Interior, to further strengthen national training programmes, expand the network of second line offices at international airports five-fold, and encouraging a stronger focus on human rights in Pakistan’s operational border and immigration control processes.
Finally, the FIA report highlights the joint awareness-raising activities in local communities with the FIA Gujranwala, as well as the training of 315 FIA officials in 2024, as significant milestones in partnership between the ICMPD and the [FIA].
FIA Master Trainers provide training on Document Security to their colleagues in 2024. They showcase examples of the security features found in documents and how to identify them. A FIA Master Trainer shows the security features of a document to a colleague as part of a training, to provide them with further technical knowledge on Document Security.