international standards on responsible recruitment15, and are also required to run through the contracts with employers in the workers’ own language.16 The law also stipulates that “under all circumstances, the emigrant’s copy of the foreign service agreement shall be handed over to him and the contents explained in detail in the presence of the Protector of Emigrants.”17 Individuals can also procure a visa by looking for jobs themselves or through the assistance of friends and relatives abroad. The prospective employer is required to provide an offer letter, contract and Foreign Service Agreement (FSA) to the worker, verified and attested by the Pakistani embassy in the destination country or, if there is no Pakistani mission in the destination country, through the Foreign Ministry of the country. Regardless of the means workers use to emigrate, the OEP is required by law to arrange the selected persons to appear before the “Protector of Emigrants within 120 days or within such extended period as the Director General [or, any other officer authorized by him] may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, grant in special cases”.18 In addition to the BEOE, Community Welfare Attaches (CWA) have also been established in various countries of destination, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE. As demonstrated in the figure below, apart from the BEOE and CWA, who are meant to assist the government of Pakistan in furthering the economic interests and social welfare of Pakistani migrant workers abroad, there are various stakeholders involved at the different steps of a migrant’s journey from Pakistan. These include the Overseas Pakistani Foundation and the Labour Attache, intended to handle the grievances of overseas Pakistanis, as well as the Airport Security Forces, Anti Narcotic Forces and Federal Investigation Agency, in place to prevent drug and human trafficking and others. In October 2018, the BEOE also launched a biometric verification procedure for intending migrants,19 to ensure transparency in the process of migration and transfer of remittances. Its impact on the practices of unauthorized subagents, the illegal means of securing employment in the Gulf Visa and the lack of attendance at pre-departure briefings is yet to be seen. Figure 1 depicts the procedure for obtaining an employment visa through an OEP and the various stakeholders involved in the process. It also shows the same for obtaining a direct visa and the stakeholders responsible for providing redress at the point of arrest. 8