Nationals of Pakistan will be able to apply for Swedish residence and work permits in Islamabad, Pakistan, starting April 9, as the Swedish Migration Agency has decided to resume some of its activities.
According to a press release issued by the Agency, Pakistani applicants submitting biometric data will be able to have their passport checked or attend the post-application interview at the Swedish embassy in the Pakistani capital, Schengen.News reports.
On April 9, the Swedish Migration Agency will resume its residence and work permit activities in Pakistan. Applicants needing to submit biometric data, have their passport checked or be interviewed after submitting an application can once again do so at the embassy in Islamabad.
The new rule applies only to those applying for family reunification to Sweden, as well as applicants for employment or study permits, facilitating the application process for Pakistani citizens who previously had to travel to Addis Ababa embassy in Ethiopia to complete their applications.
Flights from Pakistan to Ethiopia could be between five to 11 hours long and their price could be between €500 to €700.
Pakistani Citizens Still Have to File Their Swedish Schengen Visa Applications in Other Cities
Although the new rules apply to Pakistani citizens and those holding a residence permit status, they are still required to apply for Schengen visas to enter Sweden.
The Swedish Migration Agency has reinstated that Pakistani applicants have to submit their Schengen visa application to VFS Global in one of the following cities:
- Bangkok
- Yangon
- Hanoi
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Manila
- Cebu
- Jakarta
- Bali
- Phnom penh
- Kuala Lumpur
- Singapore
- Tokyo
- Seoul
The Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok will be handling applications submitted to VFS Global, which will also be issuing the decision and processing the requests.
Pakistanis Filed Over 86,000 Schengen Visa Applications in 2023
Pakistanis are the 27th nationality group that submitted most visa applications in 2023.
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfoPakistanis filed about 86,698 visa applications, out of which 40,843 were approved. This means that the approval rate for Pakistanis is 47.1 per cent out of the total visa applications – one of the lowest in the world.
As per countries that granted most visas to Pakistanis, Germany and Italy granted most visas – 11,030 and 7,549 visas respectively, but Germany and Spain remain the main recipients of Schengen visa applications filed by Pakistanis.