Last checked against official sources on 25 September 2026
QUICK ANSWER
How much does a US work visa cost from Pakistan, and how long does it take?
Petition-based work visas, such as the H-1B, L-1 and O-1, cost US$205 at the interview, and Pakistani citizens pay no separate issuance fee; the employer pays the petition fees to USCIS. On the State Department's table of 17 September 2026 the wait for these interviews was 4.5 months in Islamabad and 1 in Karachi, and an H-1B takes 6–7 months from the March selection to starting work on 1 October.
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.
A US work visa is a two-stage process. First your employer files a petition with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — for an H-1B, an L-1, an O-1 or an H-2B. Only after the petition is approved do you apply for the visa itself, with an interview at the US consulate in Pakistan.
What decides it is the category you actually fit. The H-1B needs a degree-level job and a place in a selection that runs once a year; the L-1 needs a year with the same company abroad; the O-1 needs a record of recognition in your field. There is no US work visa you can get without an employer, and nobody legitimate sells a job offer or a visa.
Most refusals come down to one of four
01The right category
02The H-1B selection
03A degree USCIS accepts
04Answers that match the petition
USUnited States · Work visaFACT SHEET
Who files first
Your US employer, with a petition to USCIS; you cannot apply on your own
H-1B
Capped each year; employers register in March and USCIS selects, weighted by wage level
Interview
In person for almost all applicants in Pakistan since 11 August 2025
Where
The US Consulate General in Karachi gives priority to temporary work visas
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
A graduate in a degree-level job
Graduates in degree-level jobs — IT, engineering, finance, medicine, research — whose employer will register them for the H-1B selection.
Joining a US university or research body
Researchers and staff joining a US university, or a non-profit or government research organisation, where H-1B petitions are not subject to the annual cap.
Transferred within your company
Managers, executives and specialists transferred by a company with offices in Pakistan and the US, after a continuous year with it — the L-1.
Recognised in your field
People with sustained national or international acclaim in science, business, education, the arts or sport — the O-1.
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.
H-1B, START TO FINISH6–7 monthsselected in March, working from 1 October
1First
Work out which category fits
A degree-level job points to the H-1B, a transfer within your current company to the L-1, a record of recognition to the O-1. The H-2B covers seasonal and temporary jobs that do not need a degree; it needs a Department of Labor certification, is capped as well, and no employer or recruiter may charge you a placement fee for it.
2March–April
The H-1B selection in March
For most private employers, the H-1B starts with an online registration each March. Since the 2027 season USCIS has weighted the selection by the wage level offered, so a higher-paid offer gets more chances than an entry-level one. Universities and non-profit research bodies are exempt from the cap and can file at any time.
32–6 months
Your employer files the petition
The employer certifies the wage with the Department of Labor, then files Form I-129 with USCIS — for a selected H-1B, from 1 April, for a start date of 1 October or later. Premium processing, where the employer pays for it, brings a USCIS decision within 15 business days.
4
Check the extra H-1B payment
A September 2025 presidential proclamation added a large extra payment to many new H-1B petitions, including those for workers outside the US. Courts stopped USCIS collecting it in July 2026, and the proclamation was extended in September 2026. Its status can change quickly, so your employer should check USCIS's H-1B page when it files.
5One visit
DS-160 and the interview
Once the petition is approved, fill in the DS-160, pay the fee and book an appointment; Karachi gives priority to temporary work visas. The interview is in person. Answer consistently with the petition — the officer can still refuse a visa on an approved petition.
6Most within 60 days
Administrative processing
Some applicants are told at the interview that their case needs further checks. The embassy says most of these are resolved within 60 days, and asks applicants to wait 90 days before enquiring.
7Days to 2 weeks
Protector, then travel
Register with the Bureau of Emigration before you fly; FIA checks it at the airport. In the US you may work only for the employer, and in the job, that your petition covers.
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 by the employer
Petition filing fees
Your employer pays the USCIS filing fees for the petition, and the H-1B training and fraud prevention fees may not be passed on to you. Current amounts are on USCIS's fee schedule.
FIGUREUSCIS
Paid by the employer
The proclamation payment
The proclamation payment on many new H-1B petitions falls on the employer, not you — and whether it is collected at all depends on the court position when the petition is filed. USCIS's H-1B page gives the current position.
FIGUREUSCIS
Optional
Premium processing
Premium processing is optional and is paid by whoever requests it, usually the employer.
FIGUREUSCIS
Paid by you
Visa fee and Protector
You pay the visa application fee in Pakistan and any issuance fee the State Department applies to your visa type at the time, plus Protector registration at the Bureau of Emigration's published rates.
FIGUREThe embassy
Never charged to you
No H-2B placement fees
For H-2B jobs, US rules forbid the employer or its recruiters from charging you any job placement or recruitment fee.
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 work visa applications are refused
The grounds that come up most on files from Pakistan. Most of them can be dealt with before you submit.
REFUSED
01
Not selected in the H-1B draw
Not being selected in the H-1B draw — the most common way an H-1B plan ends. With weighted selection, an entry-level salary has the fewest chances.
02
A degree USCIS does not accept
A degree USCIS does not accept as equal to a US bachelor's. A two-year Pakistani BA or BSc on its own often is not, and the petition then needs a stronger evaluation or evidence of experience.
03
Not a specialty occupation
A job USCIS does not accept as a specialty occupation, or an employer that cannot show where, and for whom, you will actually work.
04
A thin L-1 or O-1 file
An L-1 without a full continuous year with the company abroad in the last three years, or an O-1 file with thin evidence of recognition.
05
Answers that do not match
Answers at the interview that do not match the petition or the DS-160. Misrepresentation can make you permanently ineligible for US visas.
06
Processing past the start date
Administrative processing that runs past the start date, so the employer withdraws the offer even though the visa is later issued.
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.
Two agents cover WhatsApp between them, so this reaches a person rather than an inbox. The first assessment is free and you get a straight answer, including when that answer is no.
YOUR MESSAGE PREVIEW
ApkaVisa · live agentonline now
Assalam-o-Alaikum! I'd like a free assessment.
Service: Work Visa
Destination: United States
(ref: form-guide-work-visa-us)
Not a temporary work visa: the H-1B, L-1, O-1 and H-2B all start with a petition from a US employer, or for the O-1 a US agent. The routes without an employer are green-card routes, which the US immigration guide covers.
Employers register candidates online each March for jobs starting on 1 October. Since the 2027 season USCIS has weighted the draw by the wage level offered, so higher-paid offers get more chances. If you are not selected, the next chance is the following March, unless a cap-exempt employer such as a university hires you.
It covers new H-1B petitions filed since 21 September 2025, including those for workers in Pakistan. It is the employer's payment, not yours, and at the time of writing courts have stopped USCIS collecting it. The position changes quickly, so check USCIS's H-1B page when your employer files.
No. Pakistan is not one of the countries restricted by the travel proclamation in force since 1 January 2026, and work visa interviews continue in Pakistan. The 2026 pause on immigrant visas for Pakistani nationals, covered in the US immigration guide, affects green cards, not the H-1B, L-1 or O-1.
It means the consulate needs more checks before it decides. The embassy says most cases are resolved within 60 days of the interview, and asks applicants to wait 90 days before enquiring. Tell your employer, because a long delay can push back your start date.
RANKED · PK → US
Top 10 US work visa consultants in Pakistan
Rather compare agencies? These list the US work visa in ApkaVisa's directory, across all ten cities.
Ranked by listing tier — Sponsored, then Featured, Verified and Free — and within each tier by how many public Google reviews the agency has. The ratings are Google's, as its listing showed them; we don't check them or vouch for them, and paid places are always labelled. You contact the agency directly; ApkaVisa doesn't sit in between. How the Top 10 is ordered
Keep reading
More on United States
The other guides we have written for this country — each covers one visa in full.
