Non-Immigrant Visas
Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for your interest in a U.S. non-immigrant visa.
In an effort to serve you better we have included some general information on the procedure, timing and costs associated with applying for a non-immigrant visa below. Please read the following to see if the information you are seeking is included. Additionally please visit our website at http://islamabad.usembassy.gov and the Department of State visa website at http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html for more information on specific visa categories and the legal standards by which visas are adjudicated. If your question does not involve one of the topics included below please contact us at paknivinfo@state.gov and we will respond to your e-mail as soon as possible.
Before you apply for a visa
Q: Where do I submit my application and pay the fee for a U.S. non-immigration visa?
A: You can submit your application and pay your fee for a U.S. non-immigrant visa at participating American Express locations in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore and at their satellite offices in Peshawar, Quetta, Sialkot and Faisalabad. This service allows applicants to purchase a fee receipt, fill out and submit their forms and passports, and schedule an interview in one easy stop. You will not need to wait in line or appear at the Embassy until the day of your interview. A complete list of locations and contact information for these offices can be found at http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/pakistan/courier_services.html
Q: Where can I interview for a U.S. non-immigrant visa?
A: All interviews for U.S. non-immigrant visas in Pakistan are conducted at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad regardless of where the applicant lives. However, as stated above, an applicant can pay the fee, submit an application and get an appointment date at seven different American Express offices throughout Pakistan and does not need to come to the Embassy until the day of their appointment.
Q: How much does it cost to apply for a non-immigration visa?
A: There is a $131 or Rupee equivalent non-refundable application fee for all non-immigrant visa applicants which is payable at American Express. Unfortunately, there can be no refunds once an application has been submitted, regardless of whether a visa is issued or refused. Please note that this fee is only collected by American Express. Please do not pay any visa-related fees to anybody else.
Applicants for F1 student and J1 exchange visitor visas must also pay an additional $131 SEVIS fee. This is sometimes also called an I-901 fee. This fee is paid directly to the Department of Homeland Security not to American Express or the Embassy. The Embassy will verify payment of this fee at the time of the interview but cannot collect this fee.
Currently this fee can be paid by U.S. dollar check or international money order directly to DHS, by credit card online at www.fmjfee.com via Western Union, or by mail. Detailed instructions on how to pay the fee can be found at the following DHS website: http://www.ice.gov/graphics/sevis/i901/index.htm
Q: When should I apply for a non-immigration visa? How long does it take?
A: You should apply for your visa as soon as possible, three (3) months in advance is recommended.
Applicants for Student (F or M) or Exchange Visitor (J) visas are not required to schedule an appointment. After submitting their application through American Express and paying the application fee, applicants for Student and Exchange Visitor visas may come to the Embassy on any working day prior to 11 AM.
Change in Appointment System for Petition-based visa categories (E, H, L, O, P)
Applicants for all petition-based categories (E, H, L, O, P) are now required to schedule an appointment. These applicants must submit their application and pay their application fee through American Express. After submitting their application and fee, applicants will be assigned an expedited appointment by American Express.
For all other applicants the wait for an appointment is currently between one and three months long. This wait is normal for other similar posts both in South Asia and around the world. We do not anticipate a significant reduction in this wait time. Additionally, some cases require administrative and security processing that could take as long as two (2) months or more regardless of the type of visa. Therefore we strongly encourage all applicants to apply as far in advance as possible.
Q: Can I apply for a new visa before my current visa expires?
A: Yes. If you have a specific or continuing reason to travel to the U.S. you are not only allowed but are encouraged to apply for a new visa before your old one expires within one year of expiry.
Q: What if I need or want to travel before my interview date, can I get an interview before my appointment?
A: Unfortunately, due to the large volume of applicants and our desire to treat all applicants fairly we are unable to expedite interviews except in cases of clear and extreme medical or humanitarian emergencies. Such cases are verified and false or misleading statements regarding such emergencies can and do result in the denial of visas. Please plan accordingly.
Q: Can I submit supporting documents and papers before my interview?
A: No, please do not send any supporting documents or papers to the U.S. Embassy before your interview. Please bring all supporting documents and papers to your interview personally. Neither should your family, friends or business associates in the U.S. send us any documents on your behalf.
Q: I believe that I am well qualified and have had several visas before, do I still need to wait for an appointment and come for an interview?
A: Yes. Regulations require that all visa applicants personally appear for an interview regardless of whether they have had prior U.S. visas, in part because all applicants must be fingerprinted and photographed.
Q: What are the standards for getting a U.S. non-immigrant visa? How can I qualify?
A: Under U.S. law an applicant for a tourist or business B1 or B2 visitor’s visa must be able to demonstrate a credible reason for traveling to the U.S. and must be able to demonstrate that they will return to Pakistan at the end of their temporary trip to the U.S. An applicant for an F1 student visa or J1 exchange visitor visa must also demonstrate this as well as demonstrate their qualifications as a full time student and ability to pay for their course of study.
There is no formula or checklist for qualifying. Successful applicants are usually able to show that they have strong ties to Pakistan, such as work, family and/or social ties. It is important to note however that a visa officer will look at an applicant’s entire situation in determining qualifications for a visa and that no single thing will guarantee that an applicant will be found to be qualified.
No one else can establish your qualifications for a visa. While family and friends, both in Pakistan and the U.S. may offer to guarantee your tourist intent, only you, the applicant, can qualify.
The standards for petition-based H, E and L visas are more detailed and different from those described above. Applicants for these types of visas should review the requirements at the State Department website at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1275.html
More information on all of the different categories of non-immigrant visas can be found at the Department of State website at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1286.html
Q: Have the standards for getting a non-immigrant visa become stricter in the past few years?
A: No. The standards under the law for qualifying for a U.S. non-immigrant visa have not changed for many years. The same standard is applied today as was applied ten years ago. Similarly, the same standard is applied in Pakistan as is applied in every other country in the world. There have been new processing requirements implemented in the past few years that can make the entire process take longer but this is an administrative process that does not affect whether someone is qualified for a visa.
After your interview
Q: I was refused recently but the officer who interviewed me did not examine any of my documents, why not?
A: The most important documents you bring with you are your passport and visa application forms. This will provide the officer with much of the information needed to make a decision. You should take great care to complete your application form fully and accurately and bring all current and prior passports that you have in your possession.
Other documents are not always necessary to make a decision. Some applicants with few additional documents are found qualified and some applicants with many additional documents are found not to be qualified. This is because documents often only reinforce what is in the visa application and what an applicant tells the officer in the interview. Many times this is enough to make a decision under the law.
Unfortunately, it is also often the case that local documents are not reliable due to inconsistent and poor quality control. Additionally, some documents are fraudulent. Since we often cannot count on the authenticity of documents and do not have the resources to verify every document, officers must often base their decisions mainly on the application and from information obtained from the applicant during the interview.
Q: Why can’t I get a refund if I am refused?
A: A refusal requires almost as much processing as an issuance, and there is no provision for refunding the application fee.
Q: Can I appeal a refusal?
A: No. Non-immigrant visa decisions cannot be appealed. All applicants who are not issued visas are given a letter explaining the reason for their refusal. Please review the letter for more information about the reasons for the refusal. Most people are refused because they have not convinced the officer that they are a genuine tourist, student or other category of temporary visitor.
If you feel that your circumstances have changed or that you can meet the requirements for the non-immigrant visa you are seeking then you may reapply and we will make every effort to have a different officer interview you. However please note that the new officer will apply the same law to your new interview and will review the previous officer’s refusal notes. Therefore a new interview does not improve your chances of being issued and may result in another refusal.
Q: The officer told me that I needed a security clearance but my friend or relative does not. Who needs a security clearance and who does not?
A: Each case is different and we do not know who will need a security clearance and who will not until the time of the interview. Sometimes when people apply together, some members of the group will need a security clearance and some will not. Therefore you should anticipate the possibility of needing a security clearance and apply well in advance.
Q: I have been waiting for my security clearance for a long time, how much longer will it take?
A: We cannot say exactly. All security clearances are issued in Washington. The U.S. Embassy does not issue security clearances and therefore cannot control or predict how long any one clearance takes. Some clearances only take a few weeks but some clearances can take several months, although this is generally not the case. There is no way for the Embassy to predict or control how long a particular clearance will take.
In some instances information that might negatively impact a visa application comes to light after we have called an applicant to inform them that we are ready to issue the visa. When new information has surfaced we are required to send the application through this process again. Until this same process clears the applicant again, we are prohibited by law from issuing a visa to them. Unfortunately, this sometimes creates long delays for our applicants.
While we do our best to process applications in a timely manner, these mandatory procedures sometimes prevent us from doing so. However, once we do receive your clearance we will contact you and deliver your passport and U.S. visa to the American Express office where you originally submitted your application.
Q: Do I have to leave my passport at the Embassy while my security clearance is being processed? What if I have to travel elsewhere in the meantime?
A: No, you do not have to leave your passport at the Embassy while you are waiting for your clearance. You may keep it with you if you wish. Keeping your passport will not increase how long it takes to get a clearance however it will add about one or two weeks to the time required to print your visa once the clearance has been received. This is because if you have your passport when we receive your clearance we will need to contact you and then wait for your passport to be delivered back to us before we can print the visa.
Q: How can I get more information about visa categories and the legal requirements for visas?
A: You can get more information about visa categories and requirements on the U.S. Embassy’s website at http://islamabad.usembassy.gov and the State Department’s visa website at http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html
After your visa has been issued
Q: May I have my visa printed and issued the same day as my interview?
A: Unfortunately, no. We require three to five working days for administrative processing after the issuance of a visa. This is standard procedure for all non-immigrant visa issuances.
Q: How may I receive my passport and visa?
A: If you were approved for a visa, you should have been given a small issuance token with a four digit number on it. Please contact the American Express courier you used to apply for your visa three to five business days after your interview and bring the token to their office to retrieve your passport and visa.
Q: What if I didn’t apply through American Express?
A: If you did not apply through American Express then you will need to let us know at the time of your interview which American Express office you would like to retrieve your passport from.
Q: Can someone else retrieve my passport for me?
A: It is strongly recommended that you pick up your passport and visa yourself. If you cannot pick up the passport yourself, please give the person picking up the passport your issuance token and written authorization to pick up your passport. Additionally, please make sure that the person who picks up your passport has valid government-issued identification with them when they pick it up.
Once again, thank you for your interest in visiting the United States and applying for a U.S. non-immigrant visa.