Moving to the USA from Pakistan: Visas, Green Cards and Where to Apply

Pakistan is not among the 39 countries restricted by Proclamation 10998, which took effect on January 1, 2026. Pakistanis can apply for visitor, student, work, E, and immigrant visas.

Immigrant visas have been hit by two pauses:

• Pakistan was also on the list of 75 countries whose immigrant visas were paused starting January 21, 2026. A federal court vacated that pause on August 21, 2026 (CLINIC v. Rubio), and the government has appealed, so the situation can still change.
• Since August 25, 2026, the State Department has paused immigrant visa interviews at US embassies and consulates worldwide while consular officers are trained on public charge reviews. Scheduled interviews were moved to later dates, and no restart date has been announced as of September 2026. Visitor, student, and temporary work visas are not part of this pause. Details: immigrant visa pause.

Family petitions can still be filed with USCIS, and approved cases wait at the National Visa Center (NVC) until interviews resume.

For an overview of every route, see our guide to US immigration and how US immigration works.

Yes. Pakistan is not in the Visa Waiver Program, so you need a B-2 tourist or B-1 business visa. Complete the DS-160, pay the fee, and attend an interview in Islamabad or Karachi. Officers look for strong ties to Pakistan and a clear, temporary purpose. The State Department's guidance is to apply for a visitor or other temporary visa at the US embassy or consulate in the country where you live. Applying elsewhere is possible but can make it harder to show you qualify.

E-1 and E-2. Pakistan's treaty of friendship and commerce with the US has been in force since 1961, so Pakistani nationals qualify for both E-1 (substantial trade between the US and Pakistan) and E-2 (a substantial investment in a US business you develop and direct). E visas for Pakistanis can be issued for up to 5 years at a time under the State Department's reciprocity table. Among South Asian countries, only Pakistan has both E-1 and E-2 status: Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have E-2 only, and India and Nepal have neither.

Doctors. Many Pakistani physicians come to the US for residency on a J-1 (sponsored by ECFMG) or an H-1B, after passing the USMLE exams. J-1 doctors must return home for two years or get a waiver, usually by agreeing to work in an underserved US area.

H-1B. Since February 27, 2026, the H-1B lottery gives more entries to higher wage levels. A separate $100,000 fee on some new H-1B petitions (from a September 2025 proclamation) is being fought in court, with judges split as of September 2026. See H-1B $100k fee.

Students. Since September 15, 2026, new F-1 students are admitted until a fixed date instead of for "duration of status", so you may need to file for an extension if your program runs longer. See F-1 fixed admission period.

Family. Most Pakistanis who immigrate do so through family. Spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of US citizens have no annual cap. Siblings (F4) and married children (F3) wait many years. Pakistanis use rest-of-world dates in the Visa Bulletin.

Employment. EB-2 and EB-3 also use rest-of-world dates, which are far shorter than India's.

Diversity Visa. Pakistani natives were not eligible for DV-2026 because more than 50,000 Pakistanis immigrated to the US in the previous five years. You may qualify through a spouse's country of birth. The Diversity Visa (DV) lottery is paused: visa issuance stopped on December 23, 2025, and DV-2027 registration never opened. See DV lottery paused.

Book appointments through the embassy's website. See our visa interview guide. If your case is held for extra security checks after the interview, see 221(g) administrative processing.

For immigrant visas, the State Department's Pakistan page lists:

• Police certificate: a Police Character Certificate from the Police Facilitation Center or local police office in your home province or the province of residence shown on your CNIC (computerized national identity card). The process varies by province.
• Birth certificate: a birth registration certificate from the Union Council, Municipal Corporation, Capital Development Authority, or Cantonment Board. Civil records written on stamp (rupee) paper are not accepted.
• Marriage and divorce: the registered Nikah Nama and marriage registration certificate and, for divorce, the divorce certificate from the Union Council or the court decree.

The State Department notes that many Pakistani records are registered years after the event, so bring any older supporting evidence you have.

Large Pakistani American communities live in the New York area (Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn and parts of Queens) and New Jersey, Houston and Dallas in Texas, Chicago's Devon Avenue in Illinois, and the Washington, DC area, especially Northern Virginia. There are also sizeable communities in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Mosques and professional associations of Pakistani doctors and engineers are strong community networks.