Pakistan Migration Governance · Protection & Assistance
National Referral Pathways
Connecting people to protection, assistance and sustainable solutions across the migration cycle.
Explore existing referral mechanisms, responsible institutions, practical guidance and trusted support services for different migration situations in Pakistan.
Referral and protection results
Survivors supported
Trafficking, child labour and forced-labour survivors supported through the NRM in 2025.
UN Pakistan · 2025Protection and reintegration
Survivors assisted through the UN-supported Taftan reception facility, reported for 2025.
UN Pakistan · 2025Refugee legal assistance
Refugees and asylum-seekers accessing legal aid and counselling through UN-backed centres in 2025.
UN Pakistan · 2025Returnees assisted
Through airport reception desks since July 2025, reported by ICMPD in September 2026.
ICMPD · Sep 2026Sources: UN Pakistan, One UN Results Report 2025 (published 2026), and ICMPD, September 2026. These are different programmes and reporting periods; the figures should not be combined into one total.
How the referral mechanism works
From first contact to safe resolution.
Click any stage to see its purpose, key actors, safeguarding requirements and the documents that guide it.
Proposed integrated pathway · select a stage
Proposed integrated framework. Pakistan has existing trafficking-related referral arrangements and services. This pathway is adapted from earlier OxDev infographics and IOM referral guidance; it illustrates recommended navigation and is not an assertion that all steps operate as one government-wide procedure covering every migrant category.
Eight dedicated referral pathways
Key referral connections by situation.
Proposed website routes grounded in existing sectoral institutions — not eight legally established national referral programmes.
| Pathway | Key referral connections and content |
|---|
A returning migrant
- Arrival in Pakistan
- Reception and immediate needs screening
- MRC / airport reception assistance
- Documentation
- Protection and welfare
- Skills and livelihoods
- Follow-up and sustainable reintegration
Airport Reception Desks
ICMPD reports that Airport Reception Desks in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar provide practical assistance to returnees on arrival and connect them to longer-term support through Migrant Resource Centres — 4,502 returnees assisted since July 2025 (ICMPD, September 2026).
Institutions and multi-sector services
Who does what in the referral system.
Federal and national coordination sits above provincial and district service delivery. Filter by service pillar to highlight the institutions involved.
Federal & national coordination
Provincial & district service delivery
International partners & civil society
Verification required. Mandates, geographic coverage and referral roles shown here are summaries for navigation. Each entry should be checked against the institution's official mandate before publication.
Find assistance
Confirmed starting points for support.
This page helps you find the correct route; the Migrant Services & Protection directory provides detailed contact and eligibility information.
If someone's life or safety is at immediate risk, contact emergency services or go to the nearest hospital before any administrative procedure. For trafficking or smuggling-related harm, the FIA helpline is 1991.
Migrant Services & Protection directory
Filter providers by province, district, migration situation, type of support, target population, eligibility and referral method.
Before publication: each entry should show its official source and a last-verification date. Helpline numbers and hours change — confirm them with the issuing institution.
Pakistan's referral and protection framework
Policy and legal timeline.
Scroll sideways and select a milestone for more detail.
Documents and resource library
Laws, SOPs, guidance and reports.
Original publication titles, issuing institutions, year and type, with a direct link to the source.
Pending verification: the 2026–2030 national action plans and the newly approved safeguarding policy guidance will be added once their original downloadable documents are confirmed. The ICT NRM guidelines are a technical working reference until their approval and public-release status are confirmed.
Infographics, explainers and FAQs
See the referral system at a glance.
Visual references developed for the platform, and answers to common questions.
Pakistan National Referral Mechanism
The full referral infographic, adapted as the interactive pathway in Section 04.
Pakistan National Migration Referral Mechanism
A simplified institutional model, used for the coordination map in Section 06.
Pakistan HTMS Referral Timeline
Trafficking, smuggling and referral milestones, presented as the timeline in Section 08.
What is a national referral mechanism?
A referral mechanism is a cooperative framework through which government agencies, international organisations and civil society identify people in need of protection, assess their needs, and connect them — with their consent — to the right services, then follow up to make sure assistance was received.
Is there one official referral mechanism for all migrants in Pakistan?
No. Pakistan has existing trafficking-related referral arrangements and services. The all-migration-types model on this page is a proposed integrated referral framework that brings existing sectoral routes together for easier navigation; it is not a single officially approved mechanism.
Who can use these pathways?
Migrants, returnees, asylum-seekers, families, service providers, civil society organisations and policymakers who need to understand how referrals work and which institution is responsible.
Do I need to give consent before being referred?
Good referral practice requires that options are explained and appropriate, informed consent is obtained before personal information is shared — except where there is an immediate risk to life or safety, or where specific child-protection rules apply.
What if my situation fits more than one category?
That is common. Choose the migration situation closest to yours, then check the vulnerabilities layer — trafficking, children at risk, gender-based violence, disability or urgent protection concerns — which applies across every pathway.
How current is the contact information?
Contacts are drawn from official sources. Numbers, hours and procedures change, so each entry should be checked with the issuing institution; the directory shows the source and last verification date for each provider.