The United States Mission in Pakistan has announced good news for all the citizens looking for renewing their US B1/B2 tourist and business visas. There is an expansion in the US Visa Interview waiver eligibility for Pakistanis at the US Embassy in Islamabad and US Consulate General in Karachi.
Previously, citizens above the age of 45 were eligible to participate in the US Visa Interview waiver program. However, after this news release from the US embassy in Pakistan, citizens from all age groups could participate in this Visa Interview Waiver program for US visas.
US Visa Interview Waiver Eligibility
Currently, all the visa holders who have valid B1/ B2 visas or have expired within the last 48 months lie in the US Visa Interview Waiver eligibility. There is no requirement of the age group so citizens from any age group could participate for the interview waiver. The embassy has also announced an extension in the interview waiver eligibility for students and petition-based workers who had formerly held US visas.
The visa procedures are too complicated. But this expansion has changed the procedure that will help in creating better customer service. Furthermore, this expansion in US Visa Interview Waiver Eligibility will also help in the efficient renewal of tourist and business visas of eligible and qualified applicants. The applicants can apply for a visa waiver online.
However, according to US laws, some eligible visa holders have to appear at US Embassy in Islamabad or US Consulate General in Karachi for an interview after submitting their application.
Process
The US embassy in Pakistan has eligibility criteria for the US Visa Interview waiver on its official website. The applicants can go through the criteria at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/pk/pk-niv-visarenew.asp to check if they are eligible or not.
The applicants who stand up to the eligibility criteria for an interview waiver but they are already scheduled for an interview at the embassy, may cancel their appointments online. After cancellation of the appointment, they can begin with ‘New Application’ on the scheduling dashboard. Then fill in the application and follow the steps online to submit an application through the interview waiver.
The applicants must use the authorized courier service locations to submit their interview waiver applications. The authorised courier service of the US embassy in Pakistan is https://ustraveldocs.com/pk/pk-loc-documentdropoff.asp.
Once the application is submitted, it may take up to four weeks to complete the renewal process. For more information regarding US Visa interview waiver eligibility, you can visit the official website of the US embassy in Pakistan.
