How do you get a US visit visa from Pakistan? (2026)

What can you do on a US B1/B2 visa, and what can you not do?

The B visa is the US visitor visa. B-1 is for business, and B-2 is for tourism, family visits and medical treatment. They are often issued together as a combined B1/B2 visa, which covers a trip that mixes both.

B-1: business visits

The State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual lists the activities that fit B-1. You can engage in commercial transactions that do not involve gainful employment in the United States, such as a merchant taking orders for goods made abroad. You can negotiate contracts, consult with business associates, and take part in litigation. You can attend scientific, educational, professional or business conventions, conferences and seminars, and undertake independent research.

B-2: tourism, family and medical treatment

B-2 covers tourism and social visits to relatives or friends. It also covers medical treatment, but the manual expects evidence. That means a diagnosis from your doctor in Pakistan, a letter from a US doctor or hospital willing to treat you with the projected cost, and proof that treatment, travel and living costs will be paid from legal sources. B-2 also covers attending social, religious or fraternal conventions, and a short recreational course that is incidental to a tourist visit.

What a visitor visa does not allow

The law excludes anyone coming to perform skilled or unskilled labour. You cannot take a job with a US employer, and your money for the trip must be enough that you have no reason to look for work. You also cannot enrol in a degree or any course that earns academic credit. That needs a student visa, which the guide to studying in the USA covers step by step.

How much is the US visit visa fee in Pakistan?

As of 15 September 2026, the US Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan list $185 for a non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa in their schedule of fees, revised with effect from 13 April 2026. The B1/B2 visa falls in that category. The same figure was set by the State Department’s 2023 fee rule, in force since 30 May 2023.

This is an application fee, often called the MRV fee. The Foreign Affairs Manual says it must be paid whether the visa is issued or refused. The US Embassy adds that visa application fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Fees charged at or after issuance

Some nationalities also pay an issuance fee, known as the reciprocity fee, once a visa is approved. The amount depends on the country schedule, so check the State Department’s reciprocity page for Pakistan before you apply.

A US law passed in July 2025 created a separate visa integrity fee, payable when a nonimmigrant visa is issued. In its July 2025 notice, the Department of Homeland Security said this fee needs cross-agency coordination and will be implemented in a future publication. No official page checked for this guide on 15 September 2026 confirmed that it is being collected from applicants in Pakistan. Look at the State Department’s fees page before you pay anything described as an integrity fee.

Two other charges exist but do not apply to everyone. A temporary rule in force from 1 July 2026 created an optional $750 fee for an expedited B1/B2 interview appointment, offered only at selected posts and in limited numbers. Separately, the visa bond programme can require nationals of listed countries to post a bond before a B1/B2 visa is issued. Check the State Department’s visa bond country list and the fees page to see whether either currently applies in Pakistan.

What does the DS-160 ask, and what are the photo rules?

The DS-160 is the online nonimmigrant visa application, completed on the Consular Electronic Application Center. It asks about your identity, travel plans, US contacts, family, work, education, earlier travel and any previous refusals. At the end you sign it electronically, which certifies that your answers are true.

Treat it as a sworn statement. Every answer should match your passport, your NADRA records and the documents you carry, or you create a doubt you then have to explain.

Social media identifiers

The DS-160 asks about your online presence. US embassies, including the US Embassy in Mali, state that applicants must list all usernames or handles for every platform used in the last five years, and that omitting them could lead to a refusal and ineligibility for future visas. List old accounts too. The US Embassy in Pakistan asks applicants in certain categories, including F, M, J and H-1B, to set their accounts to public. As of 15 September 2026, B1/B2 is not on that list.

The visa photo

You upload a digital photo with the DS-160. US embassy guidance, such as the US Embassy in Guyana’s photo answers and the US Embassy in Papua New Guinea’s instructions, says the photo must be in colour, 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm), taken within the last six months, on a white background, and without eyeglasses. If your uploaded photo is rejected, bring one printed photo to the interview. The full technical rules are on the State Department photo requirements page.

Where do you book the appointment, and do you need an interview?

According to the US Embassy’s nonimmigrant visa page, interview scheduling, fee collection and document delivery in Pakistan are handled by a contractor, CGI, through USTravelDocs. That is where you pay the fee, choose a location and book a date.

Two US posts in Pakistan handle visitor visas. The Embassy in Islamabad conducts immigrant and nonimmigrant visa interviews. The Consulate General in Karachi conducts nonimmigrant visa interviews only. The Embassy asks applicants to book in their country of residence or nationality.

Interview wait times

Wait times change often, so this guide does not quote a number. Check the State Department’s global visa wait times tool for Islamabad and Karachi on the day you plan. If you have a genuine emergency, such as a medical crisis, the Embassy explains how to request an expedited appointment through USTravelDocs. The requirements are strict.

Can you skip the interview?

Usually not. The US Embassy says that from 11 August 2025, all nonimmigrant visa applicants in Pakistan, including those under 14 and over 79, will generally need an in-person interview. The exception it describes is narrow: B1/B2 applicants whose previous full-validity visa was issued when they were at least 18, and who are renewing within 12 months of that visa’s expiry. Read the State Department’s interview waiver update for the full conditions.

What does 214(b) mean, and what counts as ties to Pakistan?

Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act presumes that every visa applicant is an intending immigrant. You must establish, to the satisfaction of the consular officer, that you are entitled to nonimmigrant status. The burden is on you, not on the officer. The Foreign Affairs Manual also requires B visa applicants to have a residence abroad that they do not intend to abandon, and specific, realistic plans for a temporary stay.

“Ties” is the everyday word for the things that make your return credible. The manual is clear that a demographic profile, such as being young or single, is not in itself a ground for refusal. The decision must rest on your specific circumstances.

Work or business

A permanent job with approved leave, or a registered business that needs you, is usually the strongest tie. An employer leave letter or NOC stating your role, salary, service length and return date helps. For business owners, SECP or chamber registration, an NTN and FBR tax returns show the business is real and that it is yours.

Family and property

A spouse and children staying in Pakistan, elderly parents who rely on you, or property in your name all show a life you are returning to. A NADRA Family Registration Certificate explains family relationships quickly.

Money and travel history

Funds should match your income and the cost of the trip. Travel history is not required, but earlier trips to the UK, Europe or the Gulf with timely returns show a pattern of compliance.

When I prepare someone for a visitor interview, I start with one question: what would the officer need to hear to believe this trip is temporary? Documents support that answer. They do not replace it.

What documents should you carry to the interview?

The US Consulate General in Karachi says it has no specific list of supporting documents for visitors. Applicants should bring whatever substantiates their position in Pakistan and their purpose of travel, and the officer may or may not look at it. The interview is decisive. Documents are there to back up what you say, if asked.

Always bring

• Your current passport and any old passports with US or other visas.
• The DS-160 confirmation page and your appointment confirmation.
• Your fee payment receipt.
• A printed photo, in case your uploaded photo was rejected.

Supporting documents worth organising

• CNIC, and an FRC if family members apply together.
• Employer letter or NOC with approved leave, and recent salary slips.
• Business registration, NTN and recent FBR tax returns.
• Six months of PKR bank statements with a clear source for the balance.
• For business trips, an invitation from the US company or conference.
• For medical trips, the diagnosis, the US hospital letter and proof of payment.
• For family visits, your relative’s US status and a short invitation letter.

Keep them in a slim folder, in an order you can find quickly. Reviewing a file as a lawyer, I check whether every document supports the same account. A pile of unrelated papers helps no one.

How long is the visa valid, how long can you stay, and what if you overstay?

Visa validity and the number of entries for Pakistani nationals are set by the reciprocity schedule. Check the current B1/B2 entry on the State Department’s Pakistan reciprocity page before you plan repeat trips.

The visa and your permitted stay are different things

A visa lets you travel to a US port of entry and ask to be admitted. It does not decide how long you may stay. Section 214(b) says you must satisfy the immigration officers at the time of admission as well as the consular officer. US Customs and Border Protection records your admission on an electronic Form I-94, and the admit-until date shown there is the date you must leave by. Check it online after you arrive.

What overstaying costs you

Under section 222(g) of the Act, if you stay beyond the period authorised, your visa becomes void once that period ends. The penalties on returning are set by section 212(a)(9)(B). According to USCIS, if you accrue more than 180 days but less than one year of unlawful presence during a single stay and then leave, you are inadmissible for 3 years. If you accrue one year or more, you are inadmissible for 10 years. People under 18 do not accrue unlawful presence.

What should you do after a 214(b) refusal?

A 214(b) refusal means the officer was not satisfied that you overcame the presumption of immigrant intent. The State Department’s standard refusal letter says the decision cannot be appealed, but you may reapply at any time. To do that, you submit a new application form and photo, pay the application fee again, and book a new appointment. The letter also says you should be ready to show information not presented before, or that your circumstances have changed.

That is the practical test. If nothing has changed, a quick second attempt tends to meet the same result. Always declare earlier refusals on the new DS-160. The guide to visa refusals sets out how to work through what changed, and the US interview preparation section covers the same 214(b) test from the student side.

How do you apply, step by step?

1. 1

   Confirm that B1/B2 is the right visa

   Check that your trip is for business, tourism, a family visit or medical treatment, and that you will not work or study for credit.

2. 2

   Prepare your passport and your Pakistani documents

   Renew your passport first if it is close to expiry. Gather your CNIC, FRC if family is travelling, employer leave letter or business registration, FBR tax returns, PKR bank statements and any property papers.

3. 3

   Complete the DS-160 and upload a compliant photo

   Fill in the DS-160 on the official Consular Electronic Application Center. List every social media identifier used in the last five years, declare any earlier refusal, and keep the confirmation page with its barcode number.

4. 4

   Pay the $185 application fee through USTravelDocs

   Create your profile on USTravelDocs, the official scheduling service for Pakistan, and pay the fee. The US Embassy says the receipt is valid for 365 days for booking an appointment, and the fee is not refundable.

5. 5

   Book your interview in Islamabad or Karachi

   Choose the Embassy in Islamabad or the Consulate General in Karachi. If you meet the narrow renewal conditions, you may be offered the interview waiver route instead.

6. 6

   Attend the interview with your documents

   Bring your passport, DS-160 confirmation, appointment letter and the documents that show your life in Pakistan and your purpose of travel. Answer briefly, truthfully and in your own words.

7. 7

   Wait for the decision and your passport

   If approved, your passport comes back through the USTravelDocs document delivery service. If your case needs administrative processing, the Embassy says most cases are resolved within 60 days.

What goes wrong most often?

A purpose that does not fit a visitor visa

Saying you will “look for opportunities” or help in a relative’s shop points away from B1/B2. Make sure your purpose is one the visa allows.

Money that appears just before the interview

A large deposit from a relative, weeks before the appointment, raises more questions than it answers. A modest balance that matches your income and tax returns is stronger.

DS-160 answers that do not match reality

Wrong employer details, a missing earlier refusal or an old social media account left off the form can all damage an application. The officer has your DS-160 in front of them. Your answers at the window should never surprise them.

Memorised answers

Officers hear the same scripted lines every day. A short, true answer in your own words is more convincing than a polished speech that falls apart at the first follow-up question.

Paying someone who promises a visa

No agent can influence the officer’s decision. Anyone who promises results, or suggests invented details, puts your record at risk. Before you pay anyone, read how to check a visa consultant in Pakistan.

A realistic example

This is a hypothetical applicant, invented to illustrate the process. It is not a real client or a real case.

Nadia Farooq is 38 and lives in Lahore. She has taught at a private school for nine years, and her husband runs a registered pharmacy with an NTN and filed FBR returns. Their two children are at school in Lahore. Nadia’s sister lives in Houston and has invited her for three weeks in the December school holidays.

In May, Nadia checks the wait times and renews her passport. In June she completes the DS-160, listing her social media accounts and an earlier UK visit, pays the $185 fee through USTravelDocs and books an interview. She gathers her school’s leave letter, salary slips, bank statements, her husband’s business documents, the FRC and her sister’s letter. At the interview she explains who she is visiting, for how long, and that she is due back at school in January. She books flights only after the visa is issued.

The version that goes wrong. The same applicant books a non-refundable flight first, borrows PKR 2,000,000 from a cousin to “show funds”, leaves her UK visit off the DS-160, and tells the officer she might stay longer if her sister finds her some work. Each point is avoidable, and together they give the officer little reason to be satisfied under 214(b). If you are also thinking about a UK trip, the UK visit visa guide applies the same discipline to a different system.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions