Pakistan's immigration policy is supervised by the Minister of the Interior of Pakistan. 

Most immigrants do not have the right to citizenship or permanent residence, but there are still exceptions.

There are three categories of declared citizens who can obtain Pakistani citizenship.

1. Citizenship by birth

• Any person who was born in Pakistan after 13 April, 1951 year (on which day the “Pakistan Citizenship Act” comes into force) automatically obtains Pakistani citizenship by birth, except when they are the child of a foreign diplomat, a hostile foreigner (Pakistan's strained foreign relations with India and Afghanistan) or a refugee. However, minor children of Pakistani mothers could apply for registration as citizens in a separate process that was subject to discretionary government approval.
• People who were born to parents who are citizens only by Origin can alternatively obtain citizenship if their birth is registered with the Pakistani diplomatic mission.
• People whose parents or grandparents were born in the territories now part of Pakistan prior to the entry into force of the Citizenship Act 1951 year are citizens of Pakistan.

2. Citizenship by Origin

• Children of Pakistanis born outside of Pakistan are citizens by Origin. If the father of such a child is himself a citizen of origin (as he was born outside Pakistan), the child must be registered with the nearest consulate or mission of Pakistan.
• Children who were born before 18 April, 2000 year were eligible for citizenship only by descent from their father. Now children who were born to a citizen of Pakistan also have the right to do so.
• Children who were born abroad automatically become citizens of Pakistan by Origin if one of the parents is a citizen of another origin or works in the Government of Pakistan.

3. Citizenship by naturalization

• Foreigners over the age of 18 can become citizens of Pakistan by naturalization after living in the country for at least four years for a seven-year period, followed by another year of residence immediately before applying. 
• Applicants must demonstrate a level of proficiency in at least one of the languages of Pakistan, have good characteristics, intend to permanently reside in the country or start serving in the Pakistani government, and do not have citizenship of countries that prohibit the naturalization of Pakistani citizens.
• Citizens of the Commonwealth (meaning the unification of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire) can alternatively obtain citizenship by registering with financial investments in the country. After transferring 5,000,000 Pakistani rupees to the State Bank, investors receive an immigration visa. Upon arrival in Pakistan, they are granted citizenship.
• Foreign women who are married to Pakistani men (and widows who are married to them) have the right to apply for citizenship, provided that their husbands have not obtained citizenship by naturalization or registration.
• Persons who migrated to Pakistan from the territories of the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent prior to the Pakistani Citizenship Act are declared citizens of Pakistan1951 year.

Renunciation of citizenship

You can voluntarily renounce your Pakistani citizenship:

• Any person over the age of 18, provided that the applicant already has documentary evidence that he will soon receive another citizenship.
• Minor children of a father who renounces citizenship also cease to be citizens if they do not remain living in Pakistan at the time of the father's renunciation. 

Important! Former citizens who have renounced their status can subsequently apply for restoration of Pakistani citizenship. There are no special requirements for restoring citizenship, except for a written application to the government.

Deprivation of citizenship

• Naturalized citizens may be forced to withdraw their status if they obtained it fraudulently, are sentenced to imprisonment for more than 12 months in any jurisdiction of the world, or intentionally commit an act that is a violation of loyalty to the state.
• Any citizen who has continuously resided abroad for more than seven years is also subject to deprivation of citizenship, except in cases where he works for the government while staying abroad or has applied to retain citizenship in a Pakistani diplomatic mission.