JOBSPUZZLE
Englishاردوहिन्दीالعربيةPakistan 🇵🇰India 🇮🇳Philippines 🇵🇭Nepal 🇳🇵Bangladesh 🇧🇩Indonesia 🇮🇩Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

USA work visa requirements for Pakistani citizens

For Pakistan passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15

Very limited routes

A US employer must enter you in the H-1B lottery and file a petition for you — you cannot apply on your own — and while temporary work visas are still being issued to Pakistanis, the US has paused all green-card (immigrant visa) issuance for Pakistani citizens since 21 January 2026 and in practice US work-visa numbers for Pakistani citizens are small — there is no at-volume hiring pipeline from Pakistan.

What the employer must have

  • Register you in USCIS's electronic H-1B registration (opens around March each year) and be selected in the lottery before it can file a cap-subject petition — the FY2027 cap of 65,000 + 20,000 (US master's) is already full
  • Get a Labor Condition Application (Form ETA-9035) certified by the US Department of Labor, promising to pay at least the prevailing wage
  • File Form I-129 petition with USCIS; a court order currently blocks the extra $100,000 payment for workers abroad, but DHS says it still plans to collect it if the order is lifted

What you must do before you leave

  1. After the employer's petition is approved, apply for the H-1B visa at a US Embassy/Consulate (DS-160 form + interview); the State Department currently requires visa applicants to set social-media accounts to public for identity vetting, and scrutiny of Pakistani applicants is high.
  2. Before leaving Pakistan for any foreign job, you must register with the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment (BEOE) and get your passport stamped by the Protectorate of Emigrants — either by direct registration or through a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter (OEP)
  3. Without the Protector stamp/registration, FIA staff at the airport will not let you board an international flight for employment

Things to watch

  • US immigrant-visa (green card) issuance is paused for Pakistani citizens effective 21 Jan 2026 — the employer-sponsored permanent-settlement path is frozen while the pause lasts; the pause does NOT cover work visas like H-1B
  • H-1B is a lottery: registration does not guarantee selection, and the FY2027 cap is already reached — the next chance is the next registration window (typically March)
  • The $100,000 payment for new H-1B petitions for workers abroad was court-vacated (First Circuit denied the government's stay on 24 Jul 2026) but DHS says it still plans to collect it if courts allow — check the live status before an employer files
  • 'Restricted' reflects the lottery gate plus the current official US posture toward Pakistani applicants (immigrant-visa pause, maximum-vetting language) and the absence of an at-volume hiring pipeline from Pakistan — not a legal ban on work visas

What you may lawfully be charged

THE MOST A LICENSED AGENT MAY LAWFULLY CHARGE YOU as a service charge is PKR 15,000 (PKR 6,000 if you found the job yourself and only need the paperwork done). You do not hand it over — you deposit it in a bank and the agent is paid only after the Protector of Emigrants confirms you reached the job. Anything he spends on your ticket, medical or visa must come with a signed, stamped receipt.

Rule 15 and 15A, Emigration Rules 1979 (SRO 1058(I)/2023). Charging more is punishable by up to 14 years — Section 22(a), Emigration Ordinance 1979.

⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.

Official sources

This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.

Common questions

Can a Pakistani passport holder work in the USA?

A US employer must enter you in the H-1B lottery and file a petition for you — you cannot apply on your own — and while temporary work visas are still being issued to Pakistanis, the US has paused all green-card (immigrant visa) issuance for Pakistani citizens since 21 January 2026 and in practice US work-visa numbers for Pakistani citizens are small — there is no at-volume hiring pipeline from Pakistan.

What does an employer in the USA need before hiring a Pakistani worker?

Register you in USCIS's electronic H-1B registration (opens around March each year) and be selected in the lottery before it can file a cap-subject petition — the FY2027 cap of 65,000 + 20,000 (US master's) is already full Get a Labor Condition Application (Form ETA-9035) certified by the US Department of Labor, promising to pay at least the prevailing wage File Form I-129 petition with USCIS; a court order currently blocks the extra $100,000 payment for workers abroad, but DHS says it still plans to collect it if the order is lifted

What must a Pakistani citizen do before leaving to work in the USA?

After the employer's petition is approved, apply for the H-1B visa at a US Embassy/Consulate (DS-160 form + interview); the State Department currently requires visa applicants to set social-media accounts to public for identity vetting, and scrutiny of Pakistani applicants is high. Before leaving Pakistan for any foreign job, you must register with the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment (BEOE) and get your passport stamped by the Protectorate of Emigrants — either by direct registration or through a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter (OEP) Without the Protector stamp/registration, FIA staff at the airport will not let you board an international flight for employment

What should Pakistani workers watch out for with the USA job offers?

US immigrant-visa (green card) issuance is paused for Pakistani citizens effective 21 Jan 2026 — the employer-sponsored permanent-settlement path is frozen while the pause lasts; the pause does NOT cover work visas like H-1B H-1B is a lottery: registration does not guarantee selection, and the FY2027 cap is already reached — the next chance is the next registration window (typically March) The $100,000 payment for new H-1B petitions for workers abroad was court-vacated (First Circuit denied the government's stay on 24 Jul 2026) but DHS says it still plans to collect it if courts allow — check the live status before an employer files 'Restricted' reflects the lottery gate plus the current official US posture toward Pakistani applicants (immigrant-visa pause, maximum-vetting language) and the absence of an at-volume hiring pipeline from Pakistan — not a legal ban on work visas

Should I pay an agent for a job in the USA?

No. Never pay anyone for a job offer, a visa, or a place on a list. Legitimate recruitment for this route does not require the worker to pay for the job itself. Verify any agent against the official registers linked on this page.

Other countries Pakistani citizens can work in

All work visa guides

41 live USA vacancies for Pakistani workers

From job boards and overseas-employment registers. We do not yet hold Pakistan's own national register for this country, so these are not nationality-filtered.

See all jobs and apply