USA VISIT VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR PAKISTANI PASSPORT
The visa is a stamp on your passport which allows you to visit a country on this planet for a certain period of time. The United States of America (USA) is one of the favorite destinations for tourists, and obtaining a US visa has become one of the popular desires for many in this world, especially in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. However, in my opinion, USA has very straightforward and easy to follow rules for non-immigrant visas to the United States of America. I got my non-immigrant visa stamped on my passport within 15 days (Pakistani passport) and I’ll share my experience with you via this article, so you can get an idea about what’s required to obtain a visit visa to the US, please note that this article will not cover immigrant visas.
Requirements for USA Visa in Pakistan?
US embassy in Islamabad and consulate in Karachi receive non-immigrant visa applications from Pakistani applicants. The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and FATA should submit their applications to the embassy in Islamabad while people of Sindh and Balochistan should reach consulate general of the United States in Karachi.
The very basic requirements for a US visa are the following:
- A passport, valid for 6 months
- Appointment letter (Printed)
- Visa application confirmation (Printed)
The above listed are the must to do requirements in order to apply for a US visa in Karachi (As I got visa in Karachi). Now I’ll show you step by step procedure to apply for a US visa online.
1) First of all, you need to visit the following website, and fill the visa form with all correct details:
2) After that, please go to the following website, and enter your application ID in order to pay the payment of $160 to Allied Bank (Any branch): //www.ustraveldocs.com/pk/index.html
3) Now using the same website ustraveldocs.com, you can generate and print an appointment for US visa, you can do this after submitting the payment. You should also print the Application confirmation from ceac.state.gove website where you filled the form initially.
4) Now take your application confirmation page, appointment page and passport with you and go to the consulate or embassy of the United States of America. You’ll have to wait for your number to be called there and then you’ll be interviewed by a visa officer in the embassy/consulate.
You’ll love to read: US VISA ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING WAITING TIME
Additional Documents for US Visa
You should take some additional documents with you to support your visa case, but it’s not mandatory. The most important thing in obtaining a US visa is the interview. If you satisfied the interview officer with your straightforward and true answers then you’ll win the case. However, don’t try to forward incorrect or untrue information, as this can result a refusal.
Some additional documents that you should keep with you on the interview date are listed below, upon asking by the visa officer, you can show any of these documents to support your case. But don’t show the documents until asked by the officer:
- Bank statement of the last 6 months (Outstanding balance of 3+ Million PKR)
- Marriage Certificate (if you are married)
- B-form of your children (if children are going with you)
- FRC – Family registration certificate (in case family is going)
- Covering letter from the company you work with
- Property papers (if you own property in Pakistan)
The above requirements are optional, but in case asked by the officer, you should instantly show it to them. So it’ll make your case more stronger.
Important Points in Obtaining US Visa
US department of state has their own policy in issuing visas to foreigners. But what I experienced and observed, I’ll share with you here. The most important point in obtaining the US visa is the reason to travel to the United States of America, and the reason should be solid and strong. In my case, it was a conference to be held in San Francisco. I had to attend that, so I told the visa officer about that. The second important point (in my observation) is the travel history, if you have travel history in the past 5 years, that would help. Other possible reasons could be marital status, bank statement etc. In fact, you should show strong and close ties with your country of origin.
Waiting Period for US Visa
When you get interviewed in the consulate or embassy, the visa officer has three options to take a decision on your case (remember, the interview is just 3 to 6 minutes long). If you were unlucky or didn’t satisfy the visa officer then you’ll be given a visa refusal on the spot without any further processing. And if you satisfied the officer then you’ll be told to receive your visa within a week. But the third and difficult case is “Administrative process”, in this case, you’ll be told to wait till the “administrative process” is completed.
In my case, the officer gave me a form on which they’d written that my case will go to “administrative process” and can take from 3 weeks to 6 months. But luckily, I got my visa on 15th day. I submitted my application on 21 March 2016 and received the visa on 6 April 2016. After you submit your application, don’t forget to track it using the following web portal: Please Click Here.
If you have any questions then don’t hesitate to ask your question below via the comment form. And have you ever applied for a US visa? if so then share your experience in the comment section below. Happy Traveling!
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