FIA Approves AI Mobile App to Speed Up Immigration

The Federal Investigation Agency has finalized plans to launch an AI-powered mobile application that will transform immigration clearance at Pakistani airports by reducing processing time to about 10 seconds, official sources said. Director of the FIA’s Integrated Border Management System, Mustafa Hameed Malik, confirmed that the initiative is meant to significantly cut waiting times for passengers and streamline immigration verification this year.

In a social media video, Malik explained how the new system will integrate with the existing Integrated Border Management System to support efficient and technology-based border control. Malik said travelers will download the mobile application, input their personal and travel details in advance, and allow the system to verify this information using national identity and passport records maintained by official databases.

The agency is also installing electronic gates at major airports that will enable eligible passengers to clear immigration without human interaction by scanning passports. Once travelers’ data is automatically entered and verified, the e-gates will process clearance in seconds, helping to eliminate long queues at traditional counters.

Under the proposed system, machine learning tools will generate passenger profiles after verification, strengthening risk assessment and screening functions at border points. Officials said the improved profiling will help counter attempts at illegal immigration or human smuggling by identifying high-risk individuals in advance.

The mobile app initiative aligns with earlier government decisions to modernize immigration procedures and curb illegal border crossings using artificial intelligence. A federal proposal approved in late 2025 tasked the FIA with deploying AI technologies to pre-screen travelers and support documentation validation before departure, with a pilot project initially planned at Islamabad International Airport.

Industry observers see this development as part of Pakistan’s broader adoption of AI and automation to enhance border security efficiency. Similar systems deployed at global hubs, such as AI-assisted clearance corridors at major airports, have demonstrated reduced processing times and more accurate risk detection.

The FIA has said the app will cover both arrivals and departures and that integrating travelers’ flight and ticket details ahead of time will allow the system to pre-populate required data before passengers reach the checkpoint, further expediting the boarding and arrival clearance processes.