US expands interview waiver eligibility for visa holders in Pakistan

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

A press release by the Consulate said all Pakistani citizens, regardless of age, whose B1/B2 visas are valid or have expired within the last 48 months are eligible to participate.

Previously, only Pakistani citizens of ages 45 and older were eligible to participate; however, it has now been announced that interview waiver eligibility for student and petition-based work visa applicants who have previously held a U.S. visa stands 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 U.S. law, some eligible visa holders may be required to appear at the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate General for interviews after submission of their applications.

The embassy has advised visiting the website to determine if they are eligible for an interview waiver.  Applicants who are now eligible for 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 interview waiver.  

The processing time has been announced to be four weeks.