The federal government has decided to facilitate Pakistani nationals under Spain’s regularisation scheme for undocumented migrants, under which approximately 15,000 Pakistanis are expected to benefit alongside other foreign nationals.
A special meeting was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Salik Hussain to review progress regarding the acquisition of Spanish residency cards for Pakistani citizens.
The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, senior officials from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, Federal Investigation Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Database and Registration Authority, and the Passport Office.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Spain Dr. Zahoor Ahmed, Consul General in Barcelona Muhammad Ali Wazir, and community welfare attaché also joined the meeting via video link and briefed participants on the situation.
Federal Minister Salik Hussain said that before the registration process begins under the Spanish scheme, Pakistani citizens will be provided passports and other required documents within one week. He added that the initiative is expected to benefit around 15,000 Pakistanis.
He also thanked the Ministry of Interior for its support in facilitating overseas Pakistanis, while Mohsin Naqvi emphasized that timely issuance of passports remains a top priority for the government.
The Interior Minister directed that no passport should be issued to any criminal or wanted individual and ordered the provision of additional staff to embassies to speed up processing.
Officials informed the meeting that verification processes for police character certificates have been streamlined, leading to faster issuance. It was also noted that Pakistani missions in Spain have already issued authority letters to around 10,000 individuals as part of ongoing facilitation efforts.