ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office said on Thursday the country was seeking details from its missions in the United States regarding reports about the cancelation of visas of Pakistani students, assuring that the embassy would provide full assistance to those affected.
The President Donald Trump administration has revoked hundreds of international student visas across the country, setting off a desperate scramble for them to leave the United States within days. Universities have reported some students being forced to leave immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System or via an unexpected text or email.
Immigration experts say they have never seen the US federal government make such sweeping changes to the ordinarily low-profile process of hosting international students. The National Immigration Project is challenging the visa cancelations, which have affected students in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida, among others.
Social media reports suggest Pakistani students are also among those who have faced visa cancelations.
“About the student visa cancelation, we are seeking these details from our missions in the US and will respond accordingly,” foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters at a weekly press briefing.
“Our missions will continue to provide full support and assistance to the affected Pakistani students if any by engaging with the relevant US agencies,” he added.
According to a tracker maintained by Inside Higher Ed, an American online publication of news, opinion, resources, events and jobs in the higher education sphere, more than 80 universities across the country have reported visa cancelations affecting both students and faculty.
Some of the cancelations appear to be connected to things as minor as roommate disputes or off-campus traffic tickets, university officials have said, while others appear to be connected to pro-Palestinian protest participation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed last month that over 300 visas had been annulled, stating that the focus was on individuals allegedly involved in activities deemed contrary to American national interests.
Earlier this week, the US Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) announced that the US Department of State has discontinued its Global Undergraduate (Global UGRAD) exchange program for Pakistani students after 15 years.
The move is part of Trump’s broader aid cuts aimed at pressuring governments to align with US foreign policy. The cuts have affected various food, education, medical and cultural exchange programs.
“The recent discontinuation of the global undergraduate exchange program between Pakistan and the United States marked the end of a 15-year initiative that played a pivotal role in the academic and cultural enrichment of thousands of Pakistani students,” the FO spokesperson said.
“We believe that student exchange programs play an important role in strengthening bilateral relations by focusing on education, scientific and technological collaboration, and more importantly people-to-people contact.”
Pakistan says seeking details from US missions on student visa cancellations
https://arab.news/239e5
Pakistan says seeking details from US missions on student visa cancellations
- Trump administration has revoked hundreds of international student visas across the country
- The cancelations have set off a desperate scramble for students to leave US within days
Pakistan, three European states agree joint strategy to curb illegal migration
- Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece agree to expand legal migration pathways
- European Union to support Pakistan’s enforcement and institutional capacity
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece have agreed to adopt a coordinated strategy to curb illegal migration while expanding legal pathways, an official statement said on Thursday, as Islamabad seeks to consolidate a crackdown it says has already reduced irregular migration to Europe by 47 percent.
The development comes during Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s visit to Italy where he attended a four-nation conference in Rome with his counterparts from the three European states focused on tackling human smuggling networks and regulating migration flows.
Pakistan stepped up its enforcement drive in 2023 after hundreds of migrants, including many Pakistanis, drowned in a shipwreck off Pylos in one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest disasters.
Since then, authorities say they have intensified airport screening, arrested more than 1,700 suspected human smugglers and launched technology-driven systems to detect forged travel documents.
“Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece agreed to adopt a coordinated strategy to curb illegal immigration at all levels,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
“The three countries agreed with the Pakistani interior minister’s proposal to curb illegal immigration through legal pathways,” it added.
The ministry said all three European states decided to provide full support to Pakistan to enhance its capacity under the European Union framework.
Naqvi also met Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Athanasios Plevris, with both officials agreeing to finalize a Migration Cooperation Agreement and to establish a joint working group to improve coordination.
He also welcomed support from Greece in developing and strengthening the skills of Pakistani police and paramilitary forces in technology-based operations.
The statement said the four countries agreed to further strengthen a joint rapid response mechanism and decided to hold the next quadrilateral meeting later this year.
A decision was also taken to repatriate criminals involved in serious crimes from Europe to Pakistan for legal action, according to the ministry.
Pakistan has said European ministers acknowledged a 47 percent drop in illegal migration in 2025 following its expanded crackdown.
Last December, Pakistan announced plans to roll out an artificial intelligence-based immigration screening system in Islamabad, and in September the Federal Investigation Agency released a list of more than 100 “most wanted” human smugglers while identifying major trafficking hubs.
