EU threatens Pakistan with visa restrictions over immigrants dispute

BRUSSELS - The European Union has warned in clear terms that countries including Pakistan who refuse to take back irregular immigrants would have to face visa restrictions in future.

The impending restrictions were elaborated by Sweden’s migration minister who said EU interior ministers had reached consensus on the issue that would also affect other countries.

Maria Malmer Stenergard told newsmen on Thursday that the countries would be pressed to take back those immigrants whose asylum applicants had been denied.

“Should intensified political and diplomatic efforts not produce the desired results, member states call on the (European) Commission to come back to the (European) Council with proposals on visa restrictions,” Stenergard highlighted.

The EU seems to be talking the issue diligently this time as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen  also wrote a letter to leaders of EU countries in this regard. The development comes weeks before February 9-10 summit in which the issue will be discussed at length by the member countries.

The EU commission president Ms Von der Leyen seems to concur with the recommendation regarding tight visa restrictions as she recently said that a pilot scheme could be implemented later this year for immediate return of those who fail to qualify asylum criteria. 

The EU planned to put in place migration deals with countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Nigeria “to improve returns... and to prevent departures,” said Von der Leyen. 

During a summit in Stockholm recently, EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson highlighted that European Union countries were receiving nearly one million asylum applications last year. 

The statistics confirm that the orders for return of migrants were not being implemented in letter and spirit and those countries could now be slapped with tough vetting for visas. In 2021, out of 340,500 orders for migrants to be returned to their countries of origin, only 21 percent were implemented. 

Sweden seems to be pushing the calls for tough visa restrictions and advocates using leverage centered around aid and diplomacy to press countries take back their immigrants upon return. 

The EU might apply the visa tool against other countries including Pakistan as well primarily becasue it has used the same against Gambia - whose citizens are now paying more to get Schengen visa and that too with difficulty.

The EU commission proposed to go harden the mechanism regarding visas against Bangladesh and Iraq in 2021 but that was not implemented; however, the countries look forward to the February summit to see if tough visa restrictions are actually put in place or not.