Daily Times

KARACHI: The US Consulate General Karachi has said that Pakistanis are no longer eligible to apply for diversity visas – also known as green care lottery – owing to high immigration levels to the United States in the last two years.

The consulate has made it clear that such visas are provided to only those nations that have historically low rates of immigration.

A statement Friday said that the US Consulate Karachi had so far issued 14,000 visas this year to tourists, students, business travellers and workers. “In 2015, Mission Pakistan (Islamabad Embassy and Karachi Consulate) issued a total of 72,000 such visas, while 14,400 Pakistani immigrated to the US same year. Around 64,000 visas were issued in 2014, while 104,000 Pakistanis gained American citizenship in last 10 years,” the statement said.

Given the rising number of immigration, the US consulate has cautioned the visa aspirants against sending money to those claiming to provide diversity visas. The consulate has also issued a fraud warning message at its website.

However, it added that the consulate consular section had kept its door open to members of media to showcase visa process. “It has been done to provide greater information to Pakistanis about US visa operations and procedures, the statement added.

“We want to give all visa applicants fast, friendly and fair interviews so that legitimate travellers can go to the US while still ensuring that we protect US citizens and visitors,” said Non-immigrant Visa Chief Mary Pellegrini.

Currently, it takes one day on average to get a visa appointment and most visas are processed and returned to applicants within 48 hours, she added.

According to Pellegrini, consular officers speak English and Urdu and interpretation services for many other languages, such as Sindhi, Punjabi and Pashto, are also available.

“Those interested in applying for a visa can go to the consulate’s website for further information.”

The site also contains information about how to pay the required visa application fee as well as booking an interview appointment at the US Embassy Islamabad or US Consulate General Karachi.