Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The United States (US) Mission in Pakistan has announced the expansion of interview waiver eligibility at the Embassy in Islamabad and the US Consulate General in Karachi for Pakistani nationals renewing B1/B2 business and tourist visas.
“All Pakistani nationals, regardless of age, whose B1/B2 visas have expired or are valid within the last four years are eligible to participate,” stated a press release issued by the US embassy in Pakistan on Thursday.
Previously, only Pakistani nationals aged 45 and older were eligible to take part. Additionally, interview waiver eligibility for petition-based work and student visa applicants who previously held a US visa is extended through 2023.
Renewal of US visas for Pakistani citizens
The expansion is a procedural change to offer better customer service and more efficiently process renewals of business and tourist visas for eligible and qualified Pakistani citizens.
As per 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 visa applications.
According to the US embassy, the applicants who are now eligible for the interview waiver, and are currently scheduled for an interview, may cancel their interview appointment online, start from ‘New Application’ on the scheduling dashboard, and follow the steps online for submitting through the interview waiver.
