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🇺🇸 Student visa guide

US Student Visa from Pakistan: I-20, F-1 Interview and Refusals

US F-1 student visa from Pakistan: the I-20 and SEVIS fee, the DS-160 and interview, the 2025–2026 changes, OPT after study and why visas are refused.

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Last checked against official sources on 25 September 2026

QUICK ANSWER

How much does a US student visa cost from Pakistan, and how long does it take?

An F-1 visa costs US$185, plus the SEVIS I-901 fee of US$350, paid to the Department of Homeland Security before your interview; Pakistani citizens pay no separate issuance fee. On the State Department's table of 17 September 2026 the wait for a student interview was 2 months in Islamabad and 1 in Karachi, so allow 4–6 months and apply six months before you travel.

Checked on the official sites on 13 October 2026. Fees and times change, so confirm them on the linked page before you pay. Visa centre charges and any consultant's fee are extra.

Visa fee
US$185
F-1 application fee, non-refundable
U.S. Department of State ↗
SEVIS I-901 fee
US$350
paid to the Department of Homeland Security before the interview
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ↗
Interview wait
2 months
student interviews in Islamabad, 17 Sep 2026; Karachi 1 month
U.S. Department of State ↗

At a glance

What you are applying for

The F-1 visa is for full-time study at a US university or college certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Once you are admitted and have shown how you will pay, the school issues a Form I-20, and the visa application is built on it.

The decision is made at a short interview, and it turns on three questions: are you a genuine student, can you pay, and will you leave when your studies end. Since 2025 the checks have widened — almost every applicant is interviewed in person, and every F-1 applicant's online presence is reviewed — so your documents, your DS-160, your social media and your answers all have to tell the same story.

Most refusals come down to one of four

  1. A genuine student
  2. Funds you can explain
  3. Plans to come back
  4. One consistent story
Manhattan, New York
United States · Student visa
Visa
F-1, for full-time study at a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)
Key document
Form I-20 from your school, then the I-901 SEVIS fee
Interview
In person, at the US Embassy in Islamabad or the Consulate General in Karachi
Timing
Visa up to 365 days before your programme starts; entry up to 30 days before
Social media
Profiles set to public for the online presence review
After study
Optional Practical Training: 12 months, plus 24 months for eligible STEM degrees

Is this the right guide?

Who it is for

Applying on the wrong visa is one of the quickest ways to a refusal, so read both lists before anything else.

You’re in the right place if you are

  • Admitted, with an I-20

    Students admitted to a SEVP-certified school that has issued, or will issue, a Form I-20.

  • A funded graduate student

    Graduate students with an assistantship or fellowship, which counts as funding on the I-20.

  • An undergraduate funded by your parents

    Undergraduates whose parents are paying, with money that can be shown and explained.

  • A STEM student planning on OPT

    STEM students planning to work in the US on OPT and the STEM extension after graduating.

Document checklist

Documents you will need

The base list for this visa. Your own checklist is built around your case — a salaried applicant and a business owner do not submit the same file.

0 / 13ready in your file

Tick as you gather — saved on this device.

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Everyone

Funding

Spouse and children (F-2)

Step by step · with timings

How to apply, and how long it takes

In the order it happens. Each stage waits on the one before it, so the date you start decides the date you finish. Ranges, not promises — the mission owns the clock.

START TO FINISH4–6 monthsthe embassy advises applying six months before you travel
  1. 1–4 weeks

    Get admitted and receive the I-20

    Apply to SEVP-certified schools. When you accept an offer and send proof of funding, the designated school official issues the I-20, which records your programme dates and the costs you have shown you can meet.

  2. 1–3 days

    Pay the SEVIS fee

    Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee on fmjfee.com, the Department of Homeland Security's payment site, using the SEVIS ID on your I-20. Keep the receipt, because it is checked at your interview.

  3. Complete the DS-160 and make your profiles public

    The DS-160 asks for every social media identifier you have used in the last five years, so list them all. The State Department instructs F-1 applicants to set their social media profiles to public before the interview.

  4. 1–3 months in summer

    Book the interview in Pakistan

    Pay the visa fee and book through the embassy's scheduling service. Since September 2025, applicants are expected to interview in their country of nationality or residence, and booking elsewhere can make it harder to qualify.

  5. One visit

    Attend the interview

    Interviews are in person at the Embassy in Islamabad or the Consulate General in Karachi, both of which prioritise student visas. Expect a few minutes of direct questions about your programme, your funding and your plans afterwards, and answer them yourself rather than from a script.

  6. Most within 60 days

    Administrative processing and travel

    Some applicants, often in science and technology fields, are placed in administrative processing after the interview; the embassy says most cases are resolved within 60 days. Once the visa is issued, you can enter the US up to 30 days before the start date on your I-20.

Rather have it handled?University admission and student visa — from shortlist to boarding pass.Our Study Visa service

Money

What it costs

The official figures are in the quick answer at the top, as checked on 13 October 2026. They change without notice, so each line here says what a cost depends on and where the current figure is published.

  • Paid before the interview

    The visa application fee

    The visa application fee is set by the State Department and paid before you book the interview. The current amount is on the embassy's scheduling site, and a payment is valid for 365 days.

    FIGUREThe embassy
  • Paid separately

    The I-901 SEVIS fee

    The I-901 SEVIS fee is paid separately to the Department of Homeland Security on fmjfee.com. The amount depends on the visa category.

    FIGUREfmjfee.com
  • May apply

    The visa integrity fee

    A visa integrity fee created by US law in 2025 may be charged when the visa is issued. Check whether it currently applies in Pakistan before you budget.

    FIGUREThe embassy
  • Shown, not paid

    Tuition and living costs

    Tuition and living costs are set by the school and shown on the I-20. You must show funds for at least the first year.

    FIGUREYour I-20
  • Paid to third parties

    Tests and application fees

    Test fees and university application fees are paid to each provider, and they add up before you have any offer.

    FIGUREEach provider

Where the current rules and figures are published

LAST CHECKED 25 SEP 2026

This is general guidance. Rules change, sometimes without notice, and your case will have specifics this page cannot know about. Check anything decisive on the official pages, or send us your situation and we will tell you where you actually stand.

Read before you apply

Why US student visa applications are refused

The grounds that come up most on files from Pakistan. Most of them can be dealt with before you submit.

  • Section 214(b)

    Section 214(b): the officer is not satisfied you will leave the US after your studies. It is the most common refusal, and it turns on your plans and ties, not your grades.

  • Funding that cannot be explained

    Funding that cannot be explained — large recent deposits, a sponsor whose income does not match the balance, or a loan that has not been sanctioned.

  • A programme that does not fit

    A programme that does not fit your record: an unexplained change of field, a long gap, or a course below a level you already hold.

  • Rehearsed or contradictory answers

    Answers that sound rehearsed, or that contradict the DS-160 or the I-20.

  • Social media left off the DS-160

    Social media identifiers left off the DS-160, or content that raises concerns in the online presence review.

  • Section 221(g) processing

    Administrative processing under section 221(g). It is not a final refusal, but the visa is held until the checks finish, which can cost a semester if you applied late.

  • An undeclared refusal or overstay

    An earlier refusal or overstay, in the US or anywhere else, that is not declared.

  • Already been refused?

    Send us the refusal letter before you do anything else. It states the grounds, and they decide whether applying again is worth it or would just cost you the fee a second time.

    Send the letter

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Straight answers

US student visa questions

What people ask us before they apply.

Ask us something else

At least the first year's costs shown on your I-20 — tuition and living expenses — which the school has already seen evidence for. The officer looks at where the money came from, so a steady history counts for more than a large recent deposit.

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