Published June 21, 2026 ยท by Hijrat โ visa consultants, Islamabad & Rawalpindi
If you have been accepted by a US college or university, the visa you need is the F-1 student visa. For Pakistani students in 2026, the process has several steps and several fees โ here is what to expect, in order.
Once your school issues a Form I-20, you must pay the SEVIS I-901 fee, which is US $350 for F-1 students. Pay it online before your visa interview and keep the receipt โ you will need it. This fee registers you in the US student tracking system and is separate from the visa application fee.
Next comes the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee of US $185, paid before you book your interview. Like all MRV fees it is non-refundable whether or not your visa is approved. So the core government cost of an F-1 visa is around US $535 ($350 SEVIS + $185 MRV) before any other expenses.
A new US $250 "Visa Integrity Fee", created by US law signed in July 2025, applies to most nonimmigrant visas including F-1. As of mid-2026 it is not yet being collected โ implementation is expected before 30 September 2026, with no firm date confirmed. When it starts, it is charged at the time the visa is issued, not at application. Pakistani students should keep it in mind when budgeting.
Complete the DS-160 form carefully and consistently with your I-20, then book your interview at the US mission. Student visa interviews focus on three things: that you are a genuine student, that you can fund your studies, and that you intend to return to Pakistan after your programme. Bring your I-20, SEVIS and MRV receipts, admission and financial documents, and academic records.
Appointment waits in Pakistan have been long โ often several months โ though student visas sometimes receive priority appointment slots closer to the start of an academic term. Apply as early as your I-20 allows; under the rules an F-1 visa can generally be issued up to 365 days before your programme start date, and you may enter the US up to 30 days before it begins.
We guide Pakistani students through the full F-1 process โ SEVIS payment, DS-160, document preparation and interview coaching โ from our offices in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Explore our visas page, get academic documents ready through our attestation service, or start your application.
Get your F-1 application done right โ SEVIS, DS-160, financial documents and interview preparation from consultants based in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Disclaimer: US visa fees, rules and appointment wait times change frequently and are decided solely by the US government. The figures above reflect publicly reported information as of June 2026 and may have changed (the SEVIS fee in particular has been subject to proposed increases). Always confirm current fees on the official ICE, US Department of State and ustraveldocs.com websites before applying. Hijrat is an independent visa consultancy, is not affiliated with the US government, and cannot guarantee visa approval.