German Consulate in Karachi halts visa services for non-EU citizens

Karachi: The German Consulate in Karachi this week halted its services for non-EU citizens due to security issues.

In 2023, Pakistan emerged among the top nationalities with the highest visa rejections in Germany and Schengen states overall.

Pakistanis spent €3.3 million on visa applications in 2023, while their expenses might increase further in 2024.

The German Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, has suspended visa services for non-European citizens, citing safety concerns.

Meanwhile, non-EU citizens who have already been issued visas can obtain them, Schengen.News reports.

“Due to imminent security concerns, the Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany will remain closed for services to non-EU citizens until further notice!” The consulate’s statement issued on July 8, 2024, did not provide further details regarding this announcement.

However, according to a media report, such a move follows some violent actions in Pakistan, including assaults on international citizens and police officials in Karachi.

The above-mentioned decision is expected to affect many individuals in the South Asian country, given that Germany is considered a favourite destination for Pakistanis.

This is reflected in the number of visa applications Pakistanis submitted to German missions in 2023. During that period, Pakistani nationals filled out 19,095 visa applications to Germany, the highest number compared with the number of requests submitted to other Schengen states.

Of those, 11,630 applications were approved, while the remaining 7,370 were rejected. With such a rejection rate, Pakistan emerged among the ten nationalities with the most refused visas by Germany in 2023.

In addition to Germany, Pakistanis submitted a notable number of applications to Spain (18,482), Italy (12,390), the Netherlands (11,389) and France (8,225).

Overall, Pakistanis filled out almost 86,700 visa applications to Schengen states. Of those, 49.6 per cent of applications were denied, making Pakistan the fourth country of origin for visa applicants whose visas were most rejected.

Moreover, Pakistanis spent €3.3 million on visa applications—the highest figure of nationalities with the highest reception rates in 2023.

As of June 11, the EU increased its Schengen visa fees by 12.5 per cent for citizens of all third countries under its visa regime. More specifically, visa fees for adults surged from €80 to €90, and for children, from €40 to €45.

Such a decision is also expected to affect Pakistanis, given the increasing number of applications they submit. As reported earlier by Schengen.News, their visa application expenses might exceed the €6 million figure.