Australian Announcement Regarding Afghan Refugees in Pakistan

The Pakistan Government has announced it will repatriate foreign nationals without a valid Pakistani visa or who have overstayed their Pakistani visa by more than a year to their country of origin from 1 November 2023.

The Australian Government advises you to check your immigration status in Pakistan and to comply with all relevant Pakistani laws. Only foreign nationals with a valid Pakistani visa are permitted to enter and remain in Pakistan. Even if you are an Australian citizen permanent resident or an Australian visa holder you must have lawful immigration status in Pakistan or a valid exit permit to be able to depart the country.

Contacting the Australian High Commission

Please do not call back the Australian High Commission Islamabad if you have a missed call from us. We will be in touch with you via email to arrange a time to call you again.

The Australian High Commission Islamabad is unable to respond to general visa queries including advice on how to apply for an Australian visa or the status of an Australian visa application.

For general queries including information on how to apply for an Australian visa visit the Department of Home Affairs website at https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/ or call the Home Affairs Global Service Centre number on +61 26196 0196 open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (local time).

You can also find further information on the Australian High Commission website about Australian visas and citizenship.

If you are currently in Afghanistan

You must consider the risks carefully before attempting to leave Afghanistan by any route. The Australian Government cannot offer advice on the safety of travelling to departure points. Any travel options you pursue are taken at your own risk. You are responsible for your own safety and that of your family.

If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident in Pakistan

If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident in Pakistan without a valid Pakistani visa and you believe you are at risk of repatriation to Afghanistan please email consular.islamabad@dfat.gov.au.

If you are in Pakistan and have applied for Pakistani visas

If you are an Australian visa holder currently in Pakistan without a valid Pakistani visa and you and your family have applied for a Pakistani visa or an extension of your Pakistani visa please email Afghan.relocations@dfat.gov.au. You must provide copies of your passport and the Pakistani visa application receipt.

If you have applied to an Afghan Locally Engaged Employee Program (Afghan LEE Program)

If you were employed with the Australian Federal Police in Afghanistan please contact the AFP by email afghan-lee@AFP.gov.au.

If you were employed with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) or the former Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) in Afghanistan please contact DFAT or email afghan.lee@dfat.gov.au.

If you were employed with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in Afghanistan please contact the Department of Defence or email afghan.lee@defence.gov.au.

If you’re certified under an Australian Government Afghan LEE Program you will still need to apply for a humanitarian visa to be able to migrate to Australia. Information about humanitarian visas including how to apply is available on the Australian Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) website.

If you need to contact the International Organization for Migration (IOM)

If you need to arrange to collect an ImmiCard from the IOM mission Islamabad or you have a query in relation to assisted movement and travel to Australia organised by the IOM mission Islamabad please email SMPAKINFOAU@iom.int.

If you have been contacted about a Humanitarian Safe Passage Exit Permit

You will be contacted in relation to providing your biometric details to the Pakistan Government at a National Database and Registration Authority centre in Islamabad. It is important that you are prepared to travel to Islamabad within 24-hours of notice to attend your biometrics appointment.

You must consider the risks of travelling to Islamabad to attend your appointment. If you do not have a valid Pakistan visa you could be detained or questioned by police while travelling inside Pakistan. Should you be detained or deported the Australian Government would be unable to intervene on your behalf.

After your biometric appointment the Pakistan Government will issue you a token that you can use to apply for the Humanitarian Safe Passage Permit.

You can go online to the Pakistan National Database and Registration Authority website and apply for the Humanitarian Safe Passage Permit. You must complete a separate application for each person who requires a Humanitarian Safe Passage Permit.

You will need to pay the fee through the online application. The Australian Government is unable to assist you with paying this fee.