• Pakistanis top the list of those who entered the UK on legal visas and later applied for political asylum
• ‘Cooperation’ with UK authorities has kept Islamabad off the visa ban list so far.
• 70% rejection rate of Pakistani asylum claims, but very few deportations
Dr. Akhtar Gulfam, Editor-in-Chief Dawn, Director, News, Dawn TV
London: As the UK has imposed visa bans on a handful of countries that have high asylum cases, Pakistan is coming under renewed scrutiny after questions were raised about the low number of deportations.
The development comes days after the UK first imposed an ‘emergency brake’ on visas for citizens of four countries following a surge in asylum claims through legal channels. In a move described by the government as “unprecedented”, the Home Office will end sponsored study visas for all citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan and will also end skilled worker visas for Afghan nationals.
Earlier this week, a journalist asked UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood why Pakistan had not yet been targeted by the proposed visa restrictions, noting that the country accounts for the largest proportion of people entering the UK on legal visas and later applying for asylum.
The question also highlighted the low rate of returns of rejected Pakistani refugees.
“This is not the end of what we will do,” Mahmood replied. “This is the beginning and not the end of what we will do in this area.”
However, she declined to comment on whether discussions were ongoing with other countries regarding possible visa restrictions.
Pakistan ‘cooperating’
Sources in both the Pakistani and British governments told Dawn that while Islamabad was cooperating with UK authorities on the return of refugees, there was a high number of Pakistanis on student visas who later sought asylum, raising alarm bells from the UK government.
They added that talks were ongoing between the two sides and Pakistan’s cooperation was strong, which is why it was not subject to a ban.
Official figures show that Pakistani nationals now represent the largest group of asylum seekers in the UK, accounting for almost one in 10 applications.
In 2024, 10,638 Pakistanis applied for asylum, almost double the total recorded a year earlier and more than applicants from Eritrea, Iran and Afghanistan combined.
Many applicants initially enter the UK through legal routes, including student, work or visitor visas, before later submitting asylum claims.
70% Rejection
Government figures show that more than 70% of Pakistani asylum claims are rejected.
Despite the high refusal rate, only a small number of unsuccessful applicants are returned. Home Office figures show that 10,853 Pakistani asylum claims were rejected in 2025, but only 445 people were deported to Pakistan during the same period – around 4.1% of rejected applicants, or around one in 25.
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