ISLAMABAD  -  The United States embassy yesterday expedited visa appointments for Pakistanis amid protests by the applicants. The decision came as hundreds of ap­plicants complained that they were not getting visa appointments for long. “Demand for US visas is the highest it has ever been. We are processing more visa applications than ever before and are working hard to bring down visa appointment wait times. To­day, the US Mission to Pakistan is proud to announce three ways we are working to meet unprecedented demand,” said a US embassy announcement.

It added, “First, we have expedited thousands of non-immigrant visa appointments. More than ten thousand Pakistani visa applicants originally sched­uled for 2024 at the US Consulate General in Karachi are receiving notice that their appointments have been rescheduled in 2023, some as early as next week. If you have a visa appointment in the next few months at the US Consulate General in Karachi, please check your e-mail and log in to your account at our website to confirm your expedited appoint­ment time.” Second, it said, “To create added flexi­bility for Pakistani travelers, visa applicants can re­book appointments at either the Consulate General in Karachi or US Embassy in Islamabad — whichev­er works best for them. Our hope is that this will al­low applicants more freedom and flexibility to find a convenient date, time, and location.”

Finally, starting from September 25, US Consulate General Karachi will begin accepting new interview waiver applications for some applicants who have previously been issued US visas, the US embas­sy statement said. It said the applicants can check ‘ustraveldocs.com/pk’ to determine whether they are eligible, print out a confirmation letter, and sub­mit their application materials to a drop box with­out the need for an appointment. The US Embassy in Islamabad is already accepting interview waiver applications for qualified applicants, it said.

The embassy said, “Taken together, these steps demonstrate how deeply the United States values the relationship between our two countries. Our goal is to facilitate legitimate travel to the United States as quickly and efficiently as possible – because we know how important it is to stay connected with family, to strengthen business ties, study, and make cultural connections with the United States.”