German Consulate in Karachi has updated the procedure for booking a visa appointment for Pakistani citizens. The rules have been changed in the light of high-demand and a large number of appointments booked daily.
To ease and facilitate the requests, the Consulate has announced setting up a waiting list. Direct appointments, which were in place prior to this new move, have been replaced by registering in a waiting list.
Those who are interested in booking a visa appointment at the German Consulate will now register themselves, via their names, on a waiting list and appointment day and time will be confirmed later on.
The registrations will be a simple few clicks process, involving no fee or charges. People will not need the help of any agent to make a registration.
Why a New Process?
German Consulate, Karachi and German Embassy, Islamabad receive a record-high number of visa requests. To save the consulate staff from over-work, the Consulate has introduced this new process.
This new procedure of visa appointments is only for Schengen and long-term visas but does not include Opportunity Card/Chancenkarte. For the latter, direct appointments are still in place.
To ensure fairness in the whole process, the Consulate will allocate slots to people in the waiting list in a chronological order.
The registration for waiting list requires people to answer a few additional questions, so that the intent of travel can be adequately established.
Germany – an Attractive Destination for Students
Each year, people from Pakistan travel to Germany in high numbers. Germany being one of Pakistan’s most-reliable European partners, allows a range of educational, academic, and work opportunities for Pakistanis.
In 2023, Pakistani students’ enrolment in Germany soared by 30%. Pakistani students also secure high-merit scholarships, including DAAD, in Germany every year.
Germany overall is a very attractive destination for students pursuing higher education. Of its total 2.8 million students, 469,485 are international students. Students choose Germany for their postgraduate and doctoral studies because most of its universities and programs do not charge a tuition fee.
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For Pakistani students, no tuition fee is the biggest bonus they get in Germany. Cost of living is also moderate compared to other countries in Europe.
Statistics from 2023/24 suggest that 9873 Pakistani students are currently studying in Germany. However, as you might think, this is not among the top countries whose students are studying in Germany.
Pakistan is ranked 10th among the top countries, with India, China, and Turkey being the top three.
Apart from students, a thriving Pakistani business community is also living in Germany. Last year, Germany pledged to prioritize long-term visas for Pakistan’s businessmen.
However, in view of high number of applications, the German Consulate in Karachi has now decided to bring this new registration and waiting list system.
Nuzhat Rana is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
