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US expands visa interview waiver eligibility for Pakistani citizens

ISLAMABAD: The United States Mission in Pakistan has expanded interview waiver eligibility for Pakistani citizens who are renewing B1/B2 tourist and business visas at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the U.S. Consulate General in Karachi.

“All Pakistani citizens, regardless of age, whose B1/B2 visas are valid or have expired within the last 48 months are eligible to participate,” the US embassy said in a statemen t.

Previously, only Pakistani citizens of ages 45 and older were eligible to participate.

Additionally, interview waiver eligibility for student and petition-based work visa applicants who have previously held a US visa is also extended through 2023.

Planning to renew your B1/B2 visa for the U.S.? Pakistani citizens of all ages whose B1/B2 visas are valid or have expired within the last 48 months are now eligible for interview waivers at @usembislamabad & @usconsulatekhi More here: https://t.co/Q15vYG4dNz — U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) January 12, 2023

The expansion of interview waiver eligibility is a procedural change to provide better customer service and more efficiently process renewals of tourist and business visas for qualified and eligible Pakistani citizens.

As required by U.S. law, some eligible visa holders may be required to appear at the US embassy or US Consulate General for interviews after submission of their applications.

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Us expands visa interview waiver eligibility for pakistani citizens, previously, only certain people were allowed to apply for an interview waiver; this change has been implemented to more efficiently process visas.

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Published: Thu 12 Jan 2023, 12:51 PM

The United States Mission in Pakistan has announced the expansion of interview waiver eligibility at the US Embassy in Islamabad and the US Consulate General in Karachi for Pakistani citizens who are renewing B1/B2 tourist and business visas.

All Pakistani citizens, regardless of age, whose B1/B2 visas are valid or have expired within the last 48 months are eligible to participate, said a news release from the embassy of the US in Pakistan on Thursday.

Previously, only Pakistani citizens of ages 45 and older were eligible to participate. Additionally, interview waiver eligibility for student and petition-based work visa applicants who have previously held a US visa is also extended through 2023.

The expansion of interview waiver eligibility is a procedural change to provide better customer service and more efficiently process renewals of tourist and business visas for qualified and eligible Pakistani citizens.

As required by US law, some eligible visa holders may be required to appear at the US Embassy or US Consulate General for interviews after submission of their applications.

Applicants can also visit the website at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/pk/pk-niv-visarenew.asp to determine their eligibility for an interview waiver.

As per the US embassy, the applicants who are now eligible for the interview waiver, but are currently scheduled for an interview, may cancel their appointment online, start from 'New Application' on the scheduling dashboard, and follow the steps online for submitting through the interview waiver.

The applicants are advised to approach only authorised courier service locations for interview waiver submissions: https://ustraveldocs.com/pk/pk-loc-documentdropoff.asp. The average processing time will be four weeks.

The applicants are advised to visit https://www.ustraveldocs.com/pk/pk-gen-faq.asp for further details and queries.

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Today's Paper | April 28, 2024

Us expands interview waiver eligibility for visa holders.

ISLAMABAD: The United States Mission in Pakistan has expanded the interview waiver eligibility for Pakistani citizens renewing their B1/B2 tourist and business visas at the US embassy in Islamabad and the US consulate general in Karachi.

“Pakistani citizens of ages 45 and older and whose B1/B2 visas are valid or have expired within the last 48 months are eligible to participate,” the US embassy said in a press release issued on Friday.

This procedural change would improve customer service and efficiently process tourism and business visa renewals for qualified and eligible Pakistani citizens, it said.

The B1/B2 visa is a temporary, non-immigrant visa that allows the holder to travel to the United States for business or tourism. An individual on this visa is not permitted to accept employment or work in the United States and there is no guarantee an applicant will be issued a visa.

Potentially eligible applicants with scheduled appointments are contacted directly and informed of the option to submit their applications through the new procedure.

However, as required by US law, some eligible visa holders may still be required to appear at the US embassy or consulate general for interviews after submission of their applications, the statement said.

Applicants may visit the US Travel Docs website to determine if they are eligible for an interview waiver.

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Advance travel planning and early visa application are important. If you plan to apply for a nonimmigrant visa to come to the United States as a temporary visitor, please review the current wait time for an interview using the tool below. Not all visa applications can be completed on the day of the interview; please read the information below for more details .

Check the estimated wait time for a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Note: Please check the individual Embassy or Consulate website to determine if your case is eligible for a waiver of the in-person interview.

Applicants scheduling visa appointments in a location different from their place of residence should check post websites for nonresident wait times.

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The estimated wait time to receive a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment at a U.S. embassy or consulate and is based on workload and staffing and can vary from week to week. The information provided is an estimate and does not guarantee the availability of an appointment.

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Wait times for applicants eligible for Interview Waiver are applicable only for locations where applicants schedule appointments to submit their passport and any required documents to a U.S. embassy or consulate. The wait time estimate does not account for the time required for a consular officer to adjudicate the application nor mailing time of passports or other documents. Refer to the website of the Embassy or Consulate Visa Section where you will apply to determine your eligibility for Interview Waiver and for instructions for submitting a nonimmigrant visa application. Note that applicants must be a national or resident of the country where they are applying to be eligible to apply via Interview Waiver.

Qualifications for an Expedited Interview Appointment

Consular sections overseas may be able to expedite your interview date if there is an urgent, unforeseen situation such as a funeral, medical emergency, or school start date. The process to request an expedited nonimmigrant visa interview varies by location. You should refer to the instructions on the website of the Embassy or Consulate Visa Section  where you will interview, or on their online appointment scheduling site. You will need to provide proof of the need for an earlier appointment.

In all cases : You must first submit the online visa application form (DS-160), pay the application fee, and schedule the first available interview appointment. Only at this point will a consular section consider your request for an expedited appointment.

Note: Travel for the purpose of attending weddings and graduation ceremonies, assisting pregnant relatives, participating in an annual business/academic/professional conference, or enjoying last-minute tourism does not qualify for expedited appointments. For such travel, please schedule a regular visa appointment well in advance.

These estimates do not include time required for administrative processing, which may affect some applications. When administrative processing is required, the timing will vary based on individual circumstances of each case.

There are only two possible outcomes for U.S. visa applications. The consular officer will either issue or refuse the visa. If a visa applicant has not established that he or she is eligible for a visa, the consular officer must refuse that application. However, some refused visa applications may require further administrative processing. When administrative processing is required, the consular officer will inform the applicant at the end of the interview. The duration of the administrative processing will vary based on the individual circumstances of each case. At the conclusion of the administrative processing period, the consular officer might conclude that an applicant is now qualified for the visa for which he or she applied. The officer may also conclude that the applicant remains ineligible for a visa. Visa applicants are reminded to apply early for their visas, well in advance of the anticipated travel date.

Important Notice:   Except in cases of emergency travel (i.e. serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family), before making inquiries about status of administrative processing, applicants should wait at least 180 days from the date of interview or submission of supplemental documents, whichever is later.

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All receipts for payment of Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fees issued before October 1, 2022, expired September 30, 2023. There will be no extensions of fee validity. Applicants must have scheduled an appointment or submitted an interview waiver application before September 30, 2023 to avoid paying a new fee. If you paid the MRV fee on or after October 1, 2022, you must have scheduled the appointment within one year of your MRV payment date. Please note that the interview itself does not need to take place within one year, but an interview appointment needs to be made in the system, even if it is scheduled months into the future. Furthermore, applicants using MRV fees paid before October 1, 2022 to book an appointment are cautioned not to attempt to change their appointment dates on or after October 1, 2023. Doing so will result in forfeiture of both the original appointment slot and the MRV fee receipt. The applicant will be required to pay a new fee and submit a new application package.

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