Claim
Italian PM officially refuses visas to all Pakistani citizens
Rating Justification
The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.
To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team conducted a keyword search to corroborate the matter and contacted the Consulate General of Italy in Karachi for verification.
People on multiple social media platforms shared posts since November 14, 2025, claiming that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had officially refused visas to all Pakistani citizens. However, no official notification, policy announcement, or directive has been issued by the Italian government on imposing a blanket visa refusal on Pakistanis.
HOW IT STARTED
On Nov 14, a pro-Israeli account said in a post on X: “Giorgia Meloni has officially refused Italian visas to all Pakistani citizens. Do you support Meloni’s decision?”
The post gained 1.7 million views.
A pro-Afghan user also shared the same claim on X, receiving over 22,500 views.
Several other users, including Indian accounts, also widely shared the claim on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here and here.
The claim was shared on Instagram as well, as seen in this post that gained over 50,000 likes and by other users here, here and here.
It was also shared on Facebook.
METHODOLOGY
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the matter of Italian visa issuance for Pakistanis.
A keyword search to check whether any credible mainstream domestic, Italian or international media outlets had reported any new visa refusal policy against Pakistani citizens yielded no news report, government order, press release or official notification regarding the matter.
Contacting the Consulate General of Italy in Karachi on its official landline number to confirm the matter, a representative refuted the viral claim and stated that no such visa ban or refusal directive was issued by the Italian government or the prime minister.
The representative advised that any official change in visa policy must be confirmed through Italy’s official consular or immigration websites.
A review of the website of the Italy Visa Application Centre — the official visa application partner portal for the Italian consulate and embassy — further shows that the system remains active and continues to accept submissions from Pakistani applicants for multiple visa categories, including study, business, family and tourism.
No public notice, pop-up alert or advisory was displayed that would indicate a nationwide suspension or blanket refusal of visas for Pakistani citizens. Contacted through its landline number, a representative also dismissed any alleged development about blanket refusals of visas for Pakistani citizens
The exception was a “public notice for work visa applications” dated October 18, 2024, on the Italian Embassy in Islamabad’s website. The notice, which stated that the validity of work-related no-objection certificates issued to citizens of several countries, including Pakistan, was temporarily suspended for verification under Legislative Decree No. 145 of October 11, 2024.
The notice clarified that only pending and new work visa applications were affected during verification, while other categories, including family, study, business, and tourism visas, continued to be processed normally.
FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE
The claim that Italy has officially refused visas to all Pakistani citizens is false.
The Italian government has not imposed a blanket visa refusal. Only certain work visa applications were temporarily suspended for verification under a 2024 directive, while other visa categories remain unaffected.
Evidence and References
Italy Visa Application Centre website:
https://theitalyvisa.com/page/visa_types
Italian Embassy Islamabad website notice:
https://ambislamabad.esteri.it/en/news/dall_ambasciata/2024/10/public-notice-for-work-visa-applicants/#:~:text=Publication%20date:%20October%2018%202024,the%20%E2%80%9CSportello%20Unico%20Immigrazione%E2%80%9D.