To get a US visa from Pakistan, you have to fill out a form called D-160 online and pay the right fees. Then, you have to make an appointment at the embassy for an interview. I have a Pakistani card and have tried to get a US visa. I’ll walk you through the process step by step.
If you want a tourist visa, you will have to show proof that you plan to journey. A travel plan is a thorough plan of how your trip to the U.S. will go. When starting the process, it will be asked on the DS-160 form.
How to Apply for a US visa from Pakistan?
I will show how to get a US visa in Pakistan, step by step. First of all, go to this website and fill out the D-160 form online to start the process. After you fill out the online form, you will go to another website and sign up there.
After you fill out the D-160 form on the first website, you will need to sign up for an appointment on the second website. You’ll get a fee slip from that website, which you’ll bring to an Allied Bank location to pay the required visa fee. After paying the fee for the visa, you’ll be able to make an appointment one day later. On the day of your meeting, a visa officer at the embassy or consulate will talk to you about getting a visa.
USA Visa Requirements for Pakistani Passport
Pakistanis can apply for non-immigrant visas at both the US embassy in Islamabad and the US consulate general in Karachi. People from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and FATA should send their forms to the embassy in Islamabad, while people from Sindh and Balochistan should go to the consulate general in Karachi.
Basic requirements for a US visa in Pakistan:
- A passport, valid for at least 6 months
- Appointment letter (Printed)
- Visa application confirmation (Printed)
If you want to apply for a US visa in Pakistan, you must bring the above-listed papers to the embassy or consulate. I will show you the other papers that are listed below.
Additional Documents for a US Visa from Pakistan
You should bring with you some extra papers to back up your visa application. But you don’t have to do that. The interview is the most important part of getting a US visa. If you told the interviewer the truth and they liked what they heard, then your chances are good. Here is a list of other paperwork you can bring with you.
1. Bank statement for the last 6 months
2. Marriage Certificate (if you are married)
3. B-form of your children (if children are going with you)
4. FRC – Family registration certificate (in case the family is going)
5. Employment Letter (If doing a job)
6. Leave Certificate (If doing a job)
7. Company Registration & Relevant Documents (If doing business)
8. Property papers (if you own property in Pakistan)
All of the above papers are not required. But only show the officer a paper if he or she asks to see it. If the officer can’t understand what you are saying, you should give the officer something that will help him or her understand. The cop only asked for a bank statement from me. When she saw it, she gave it right back to me.
I told her why I wanted to go to the US. She was inside the window, so she couldn’t hear me very well. So, I showed her the letter of request from the US company I was going to visit. This helped her understand why I wanted to go to the United States.
US visa interview Questions for Pakistani citizens
There are two parts to getting a US visa. The first step is to fill out the application online. The second step is to go to the office for an interview. In the first part, you send them all the information they need, like your visa information and why you want to go to the United States. When you go to see the officer, they already know who you are because of the information you gave them on the form. They also get information from other sources. In your application, don’t lie. They will find it, and then your visa could be turned down.
They will start the visa interview with very basic questions like “Why are you going to the United States?” that you already answered on the visa application form. how long are you going to stay? etc.
During the 5 to 6-minute discussion, they will ask you follow-up questions and cross-questions. They want to know if you really want to go to the United States. Since they have been trained, it is easy for them to tell if you are telling the truth or not.
Just answer the questions naturally. Most of the questions come from your own answers to the D-160 form, which you filled out online when you applied for a visa. So, you need to be honest.
In my case, the cop asked me easy questions. I want to show you how the talk went between me and the visa officer (Interview Language: English) in the format below.
What is Administrative Processing for US Visa?
It’s very normal these days for your application for a US visa to go through an administrative process. A security background check is part of the administrative process. This is usually done by the FBI or another US body.
If the visa officer takes your passport and hands you a piece of paper that says “administrative processing,” your US visa is accepted in theory, but the visa officer wants the US government to do a security check on you.
This could take anywhere from a week to a year. It depends on the situation, and it took just one week for my visa application to go through the official process. But some people have said that it took them longer than six months.
Is Travel History a Must for US Visa?
No, not always. You don’t really need too much travel history if you have strong home ties and a strong work background.
I don’t get why people just go to places to write about their trips. I had only been to Thailand, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, and Sri Lanka when I asked for a US visa.
But I didn’t go to these places to get a US visa. But my UK visa was turned down 15 days before I tried to get a US visa.
But if you are a young man under 30 and not married, you should have some trip experience to help your case. People who are married and have a good work history have a better chance of getting a US visa.
Visa officers want to know what you are leaving behind in your home country so you can go back. Your family (partner and children) is the most important thing for them at home. A good home tie is also having a business that runs well. For visa reasons, a good long-term job counts as a home tie.
Let me show you what I mean. A US visa was turned down twice for a close friend of mine. He had a good case, but he had never been married and had never left Pakistan. He just turned 24. One of my other friends is 42 years old, has been married for a long time, and has kids. He has a pretty average income and has only been to Malaysia and Dubai. But in just five minutes, his visa was approved.
The process for getting a US visa is one of the simplest in the world. I think of it as a risk for the Pakistanis. You will either get a visa within five minutes on the day of your interview or you will lose $160. That’s how I refer to it. But I would strongly suggest, do not make silly mistakes. Your reason to visit the USA must be a genuine reason that you can explain very well to the visa officer if they ask questions about it.
How Much Bank Statement is Required?
In short, the more, the better. If you have a million dollars in the bank, that’s great. But this is not possible for someone from the middle class. The USA is very far away from Pakistan and very expensive. So, if you want to get a stay visa, you must have money in your bank account. You should also have a good salary or income, which shows that you have a good flow of money in Pakistan.
If you live in Pakistan and make Rs.100,000 a month, you should have about 1 million PKR in your bank account. That makes sense since you saved that money from what you made. You should also figure out how much money you make and spend. If you spend more than or close to what you earn, that will be a weak point. I think you should show a bank account that shows you have more than 1 million rupees. Again, because living in the US is so expensive.
Conclusion of a US visa from Pakistan
If you are not married, try to make business or job ties, property ties, and trip history. If you like to travel as much as I do, it will make sense for you to visit the USA for tourists. After all, the US lets people stay for 5 years. So, it’s always a good idea to apply for a US visa. If you do well, many doors will open for you because a valid US visa lets you into many countries without a visa. These countries include Turkey, Georgia, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. If you have a US visa and a Pakistani passport, you will probably be able to get a Canadian visa.
