Pakistan’s intensified crackdown on human smuggling, forged travel documents and illegal migration has coincided with a significant decline in asylum claims by Pakistani nationals in the United Kingdom.
UK Home Office figures show that asylum claims by Pakistani nationals fell from 11,226 in the year ending March 2025 to 9,438 in the year ending March 2026, a decline of nearly 16%.
The sharpest drop came among Pakistanis who entered the UK on study visas. Their asylum claims fell from 6,054 to 3,745, a decrease of around 38%. Claims by those entering on work visas, however, increased from 2,933 to 3,681. Claims involving visitor visas remained almost unchanged.
Claims involving illegal entry routes also declined, falling from 363 to 342. However, small-boat-related claims increased from 91 to 108.
The figures come as Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has stepped up immigration enforcement. The agency offloaded 39,786 passengers in 2025 on immigration, documentation and risk-related grounds, compared with 27,432 in 2024 and 23,468 in 2023.
The FIA also registered 7,039 cases and arrested 3,345 suspects involved in human smuggling and trafficking during 2025.
FIA Additional Director General Immigration Nouman Siddiqui said the agency has strengthened passenger screening, issued new standard operating procedures and upgraded immigration systems to detect forged documents and suspicious travel patterns.
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