Dubai: The United States has revised its visa policy for Pakistani citizens, introducing a fee hike and changes in duration of visa validity for different categories.
According to the notification issued by the US Embassy in Islamabad, the visa duration for Pakistani journalists has been reduced from five years to three months, and the validity for work and missionary visas has also been reduced to one year from five years.
However, there is no change in the validity for tourist, trade and student visas; they will be issued multiple visas valid for five years.
The revised US visa policy is a reciprocal move as Pakistan also issues visas valid for three months to US journalists.
The visa fee has also been increased, from $160 to $193 (from Dh587 to Dh708), depending on visa category.
Visa insurance policy
According to a public notice issued by the US Embassy in Pakistan, the embassy has revised the visa issuance policy with effect from January 21. An additional fee will be charged for H (Temporary Work Visa), I (Journalist and Media Visa), L (Intercompany Transfer Visa), and R (Religious Worker Visa) visas.
Expatriate Pakistan residents will not be impacted; those living the UAE will also not have to pay the increased fee.
The additional fee introduced in Pakistan would be charged for the said categories only if the visa application is approved and must be paid at the Embassy Islamabad or Consulate General Karachi before visa issuance.
The embassy would charge $32 for I visas and $38 for temporary work H, L and R Visa categories.
The embassy has also announced to decrease the validity periods of the visas from five years to 12 months each for H, L and R visas.
The statement said during a recent worldwide review, the Department of State noted discrepancies between the US visa rules and the visa regulations of many countries, including Pakistan.
“Because Pakistan was unable to liberalise its visa regime for certain visa categories, the United States was required by US law on January 21 to reduce the visa validity and increase the visa fees to match Pakistan’s practices for similar visa categories,” added the statement.