FIA IBMS director unveils e-immigration app for faster boarding, queue-free travel

ISLAMABAD: Director of the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Integrated Border Management System (IBMS), Mustafa Hameed Malik, has outlined the evolution of Pakistan’s border management architecture and shared details of a new e-immigration mobile application designed to help passengers skip long queues and facilitate faster boarding.

In a video shared on social media, Malik explained the core functions, operational mandate, and strategic importance of IBMS in strengthening immigration controls, improving inter-agency coordination, and ensuring secure, technology-driven border governance.

He said the FIA is in the process of installing electronic gates (e-gates) at airports to enable quick, self-service border control. These automated systems will allow eligible travellers to clear immigration by simply scanning their passports, bypassing traditional immigration counters.

“Passengers will be able to scan their passports at the e-gates. Without any human interface, their data will be entered automatically, eliminating long queues. The entire immigration process will be completed within 10 seconds,” he said.

Malik also revealed that an AI-based e-immigration mobile application will be launched soon to curb illegal immigration. He said the initiative reflects the vision of DG FIA Riffat Mukhtar, who advocates the use of artificial intelligence across all FIA systems.

Under the new system, travellers will install the mobile application on their smartphones and enter their personal and travel details themselves. The information will be verified at the backend through FIA databases, including national identity card and passport records.

After verification, machine learning algorithms will be applied to automatically generate passenger profiles, enhancing risk assessment and screening.

He said travellers can enter their flight number and ticket details into the app before arriving at the airport. This will ensure that all passenger data is already available in the IBMS, allowing travellers to skip queues and proceed smoothly through immigration and boarding.

He further said the FIA Immigration Department’s Risk Assessment Unit (RAU) generates profiles of high-risk individuals, also known as flight-risk passengers, who may attempt to leave the country through illegal means such as human smuggling.