Last updated: October 2026. Policy statements below are dated and linked to the official source. Immigration rules, visa pauses and court orders change quickly, so recheck each linked page before you act.
Yes, Pakistani professionals can apply for an EB2 NIW, and in October 2026 the main question for EB2 NIW Pakistan applicants is the visa stage, not eligibility. Pakistan was on the State Department’s list of 75 countries whose immigrant visas were paused from January 21, 2026. The State Department says that pause has not been in effect since August 21, 2026, following a court order. Pakistan is not named in Proclamation 10998. To get there you must meet the EB-2 and Dhanasar test, file Form I-140, wait in the Rest of World Visa Bulletin queue, and, if you are in Pakistan, interview at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.
Key takeaways
- Eligibility does not depend on nationality. Pakistani engineers, doctors, researchers and analysts face the same test as everyone else.
- The 75-country immigrant visa pause covered Pakistan, but the State Department says it is no longer in effect as of August 21, 2026.
- Pakistan uses the Rest of World chart: the October 2026 EB-2 Final Action Date is 01JAN25 and the Date for Filing is 15MAR26.
- Immigrant visa interviews in Pakistan are held in Islamabad. The embassy says Consulate General Karachi handles nonimmigrant visa interviews only.
- Police “Character Certificates” are issued province by province, because Pakistan has no national centralized criminal records system, according to the State Department.
EB2 NIW Pakistan: policy status as of October 2026
We checked each measure against the official pages on October 19, 2026. The table states only what those pages say.
| Measure | What the official source says (as of October 19, 2026) | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Immigrant visa pause for 75 countries (from January 21, 2026) | Pakistan was on the list. During the pause, applicants could still submit applications and attend interviews. As of August 21, 2026, the State Department says the pause is no longer in effect under the court’s order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio, et al. (page last updated August 28, 2026). | State Department |
| Proclamation 10998 (signed December 16, 2025; effective January 1, 2026) | Suspends or limits entry and visa issuance for nationals of 39 countries and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents. Pakistan is not on the full or partial list. It was not on the June 2025 list (Proclamation 10949) either. | White House (10998); White House (10949); State Department |
| USCIS adjudication hold policies (PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194) | USCIS describes the affected group as nationals of the 39 countries in Proclamations 10949 or 10998, which do not name Pakistan. The policies were vacated by a Rhode Island court on June 5, 2026 and enjoined by a California court on August 24, 2026; USCIS says it will follow the orders pending possible further review. | USCIS (June 2026); USCIS (August 2026) |
| Embassy operations in Pakistan | The Islamabad immigrant visa page says the embassy “is processing immigrant visas across all categories” but warns of significant backlogs, staffing shortages and lengthy interview waits. In March 2026 the embassy cancelled immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments, first for March 9 to 13 and then through March 20, and said applicants would be emailed rescheduling instructions. | U.S. Embassy Islamabad; March 8 and March 13, 2026 updates |
| Interview location rule (from November 1, 2025) | NVC schedules immigrant visa applicants in their country of residence or, if requested, their country of nationality, with rare exceptions. | State Department |
Keep three points in mind. The pause ended because of a court order, and court orders can be appealed or modified, so check the State Department page again before your interview. The pause never stopped the I-140 itself, which is filed with USCIS. And “not on the list as of October 19, 2026” describes the official pages on that date only. If you were refused during the pause, or your situation involves another nationality, speak with a licensed immigration attorney.
Who qualifies for EB2 NIW from Pakistan
Layer 1: EB-2 eligibility and degree equivalency
Since the January 15, 2025 USCIS guidance update, officers first confirm that you qualify for EB-2. The USCIS Policy Manual accepts a U.S. degree above the bachelor’s or a foreign equivalent degree, or a U.S. bachelor’s or foreign equivalent plus at least five years of progressive, post-degree experience in the specialty. Without at least a bachelor’s or its foreign equivalent, the advanced-degree route is closed. The other route is exceptional ability, shown by at least three of the six criteria in 8 CFR 204.5(k)(3)(ii), such as a professional licence or membership in professional associations.
For an MS, MPhil, PhD or professional degree from Pakistan, the issue is equivalency to the U.S. degree you rely on. The Policy Manual chapter on evaluating education credentials says a credential evaluation is “solely advisory”, the officer decides, and opinions without a credible explanation are not persuasive. If your bachelor’s programme was shorter than a standard U.S. bachelor’s, do not assume it will be treated as equivalent: ask the evaluator to explain its reasoning and check whether a later degree changes the picture. Submit the evaluation with your degree certificates and transcripts, the “official academic record” the USCIS EB-2 page asks for. Our guide to the bachelor’s degree plus five years route explains how to document post-degree experience.
Layer 2: the Dhanasar prongs, and NIW for Pakistani engineers
Under Matter of Dhanasar, 26 I&N Dec. 884 (AAO 2016), you must show substantial merit and national importance, that you are well positioned to advance the endeavor, and that on balance a waiver would benefit the United States. For engineers, a common weak point is prong 1: describing past work at a Pakistani power plant, telecom operator or textile mill instead of a specific U.S. endeavor.
Hypothetical example: a Pakistani electrical engineer with an MS and grid-integration experience proposes to work on distribution-grid reliability for U.S. utilities. The petition ties past project outcomes (prong 2) to a defined U.S. endeavor (prong 1) and explains why a labor certification would not serve the national interest (prong 3). This is an illustration, not a client case. Our guide to EB2 NIW for engineers goes deeper.
Step 1: file Form I-140
The USCIS EB-2 page says an NIW petition must include a completed Form ETA-9089 Appendix A and a signed Final Determination. Since August 5, 2026, USCIS may deny without an RFE when required initial evidence is missing. The priority date is the date USCIS accepts the I-140.
| Fee (per official schedules, October 2026) | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Form I-140 filing fee | $715 paper / $665 online | USCIS G-1055 |
| Asylum Program Fee (self-petitioner) | $300 | USCIS G-1055 |
| Premium processing (optional) | $2,965; action (approval, denial, RFE or NOID) within 45 business days | USCIS |
| Immigrant visa application (employment-based) | $345 per applicant | State Department |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee (before travel) | $235 per immigrant | USCIS G-1055 |
| Police Character Certificate | Varies by location | State Department (Pakistan) |
| Medical exam, X-ray and blood tests | Paid directly to the panel physician; the embassy page does not list amounts | Islamabad instructions |
Older Pakistani guides still quote premium processing at $2,805; the current fee is $2,965. Our EB2 NIW cost guide covers every stage.
Step 2: the Visa Bulletin chart for Pakistan
The Visa Bulletin has separate EB-2 columns only for China (mainland born), India, Mexico and the Philippines, so Pakistan falls under “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” (Rest of World). USCIS says the country of chargeability is usually the country of birth, so a Pakistani citizen born in India, for example, may be charged to India’s much longer queue.
| EB-2, Rest of World (includes Pakistan) | October 2026 | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Final Action Date | 01JAN25 | A visa can be issued only if your priority date is earlier than this date. |
| Date for Filing | 15MAR26 | If your priority date is earlier, you may submit documents to NVC once invited. For October 2026, USCIS says employment-based adjustment applicants must use this chart. |
Sources: the October 2026 Visa Bulletin and the USCIS filing charts page (reviewed October 1, 2026). A petition filed now has a priority date after both dates, so the wait depends on how the bulletin moves. See our EB-2 NIW priority date guide.
Want to know where your profile stands before you invest in a petition? Request a free profile evaluation and our petition team will review your degree, experience and proposed endeavor.
Step 3: Islamabad consular processing
After I-140 approval, NVC handles the DS-260, the $345 fee and your civil documents, then schedules the interview once your priority date is current. The embassy’s immigrant visa page says immigrant visas for citizens and residents of Pakistan are processed at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, and its visa page says Karachi conducts nonimmigrant interviews only. Some Pakistani guides still suggest an immigrant interview in Karachi; that does not match the embassy’s own pages. The Islamabad instructions (last updated December 19, 2025) say to register on the scheduling site, choose a document pick-up location, book the medical exam as soon as you have an interview date, and in most cases upload required documents to CEAC before the interview.
Pakistani civil documents (State Department reciprocity schedule)
The State Department’s Pakistan reciprocity and civil documents page says:
| Document | Issuing authority and notes |
|---|---|
| Birth | Birth Registration Certificate from the Union Council, Municipal Corporation, Capital Development Authority (Islamabad) or Cantonment Board. A NADRA Child Registration Certificate (B-form) can be used instead; a NADRA Family Registration Certificate is also listed. |
| Marriage | Marriage Registration Certificate issued by the local authority on the basis of the Urdu Nikah Nama for Muslim marriages; non-Muslim certificates come from the relevant religious or local authority. |
| Divorce | Divorce Registration Certificate stating Talaq or Khula. For immigration purposes a Muslim divorce is valid only after the 90-day period following notice to the Union Council. |
| Police | Character Certificate from the Police Facilitation Center or local police office in the province on your CNIC. Fees and procedures vary; some carry a QR code. |
| Court and military | Court records from the issuing court; military service records are unavailable, but a discharge certificate is issued. |
| Format warning | “A civil record on rupee paper is not acceptable for U.S. visa processing.” |
Police certificates
The Islamabad instructions require a Pakistani police certificate if you are older than 16, plus certificates from other countries where you have lived. The State Department’s general civil documents step adds the detail: a certificate from any country where you lived 12 months or more after age 16, and from any place you were arrested; certificates generally expire after two years; no U.S. certificate is needed. Islamabad also asks for a newer certificate if you submitted yours to NVC more than a year ago and still live in the issuing country. If you have worked in the Gulf or elsewhere abroad, start those requests early.
Medical exam with an approved panel physician
Only these physicians are listed in the Islamabad instructions, and “Medical examination results from other physicians will not be accepted”:
- Islamabad: AMC (Dr. Ahmed Raza Jan), F-6/3; and the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre, Pakland Square Plaza, G-8 Markaz.
- Lahore: WILCARE, Model Town Extension.
- Karachi: WILCARE, Jinnah Cooperative Housing Society.
Bring your interview letter, passport, six passport-size photos, immunization and medical records and the DS-260 confirmation. Pay the physician directly. Do not open a sealed envelope if you are given one, and note that the medical report must be less than six months old when you enter the United States.
Interview day in Islamabad
Bring the NVC letter, a passport valid six months past your planned entry, two 5 cm x 5 cm photos, original civil documents with English translations and photocopies, and for employment-based cases an employer letter dated less than one month before the interview. Unpaid fees are payable in U.S. dollars or the Pakistani rupee equivalent, by cash or card. The instructions warn that “failure to bring all required original documents will result in a denial of your visa application,” and advise against selling property, resigning or booking non-refundable travel before the visa is issued.
Pakistanis already in the United States
If you are in the U.S. in lawful status, for example on F-1 or H-1B, you may be able to file Form I-485 instead of going through Islamabad once your priority date is current under the chart USCIS designates. The fee is $1,440 on paper or $1,390 online for applicants 14 and over, per the fee schedule. The 75-country pause concerned immigrant visa issuance abroad; whether adjustment suits your situation depends on your status history, so confirm it with a licensed immigration attorney.
Common mistakes in EB2 NIW Pakistan cases
- Relying on pause-era advice. Posts from early 2026 describe the pause as active. The State Department says it ended on August 21, 2026; recheck before you act.
- Planning for a Karachi interview. Immigrant visa interviews are held at the embassy in Islamabad.
- Civil documents in the wrong form. Records on rupee paper are not accepted, and a Nikah Nama alone is not the Marriage Registration Certificate.
- A Pakistan-focused endeavor. Prong 1 is about national importance to the United States. Pakistani experience supports prong 2.
- Generic letters. Detailed, verifiable recommendation letters carry more weight than templated praise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the immigrant visa pause still in effect for Pakistan?
According to the State Department, the January 2026 pause for 75 countries, including Pakistan, has not been in effect since August 21, 2026, under the court order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio. Check the page before your interview.
Is Pakistan on the Proclamation 10998 travel ban list?
No. As of October 19, 2026, Pakistan is not on the full or partial list in Proclamation 10998 or in the earlier Proclamation 10949.
Which Visa Bulletin chart applies to Pakistan?
Rest of World (“All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed”). In October 2026, the EB-2 Final Action Date is 01JAN25 and the Date for Filing is 15MAR26.
Can I do the immigrant visa interview in Karachi or Lahore?
The embassy’s pages say immigrant visas for Pakistan are processed in Islamabad and that Karachi conducts nonimmigrant interviews only. Panel physicians are available in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
Can a Pakistani engineer self-petition for EB2 NIW?
Yes. USCIS says NIW applicants may self-petition without an employer. The engineer must still qualify for EB-2 and meet all three Dhanasar prongs.
Ready to see whether EB2 NIW fits your career? Evaluate your profile for free with Skycap’s petition team.
Related guides
This article is general information, not legal advice. Skycap Consultancy is a petition-preparation consultancy, not a law firm. Requirements and fees change; check the linked USCIS pages before filing.
