EU calls Pakistan’s nearly 50% Schengen visa ref...

Summary

• ISLAMABAD: The European Union wants to make legal travel and employment opportunities more accessible to Pakistanis, its migration chief has said, acknowledging that a nearly 50% Schengen visa refusal rate and difficulties securing appointments are creating frustration for genuine applicants.
• The commissioner said controlling irregular migration was essential to creating greater political support within Europe for legal migration opportunities.
• The visit highlighted a dual challenge for both sides: strengthening action against dangerous irregular migration while creating practical, accessible legal pathways for Pakistani students, skilled workers and other genuine travellers seeking opportunities in Europe.

AI Generated Summary

ISLAMABAD: The European Union wants to make legal travel and employment opportunities more accessible to Pakistanis, its migration chief has said, acknowledging that a nearly 50% Schengen visa refusal rate and difficulties securing appointments are creating frustration for genuine applicants.

Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, made the remarks in an interview during his first visit to Pakistan, where discussions with senior officials focused on migration, border management, legal mobility and efforts to combat human smuggling.

Brunner said responsibility for improving the situation rested with both sides, calling for better access to legal migration channels and improvements in the quality of documents submitted with visa applications.

“We have to do a better job there as a European Union,” he said, describing the refusal rate as “too much”.

He also acknowledged that securing appointments could be frustrating for Pakistanis seeking to travel legally to Europe. Although visa decisions largely remain the responsibility of individual EU member states, he said the European Commission was working to improve coordination and make procedures quicker through its visa strategy.