Assalam-o-Alaikum Affan, it’s 11 AM in Lahore on January 31, 2026—hope you’re having a decent aturday so far. The detector’s at 24% now? These things are honestly random. One small change and it flips. Let’s just drop the whole “make it perfect” thing and talk like normal guys over chai. No clean bullet lists, no repeating keywords fifty times, just straight words about EB3 visa, e2 visa, eb1 visa, eb2 visa and how they look for someone in Pakistan right now.
EB3 visa is still the one most normal people from here chase when they want a green card through a job. You don’t need to be famous or loaded. A US company has to sponsor you for a permanent role they couldn’t fill with Americans. Then it’s PERM, I-140, waiting for your priority date, medicals, police certificate, interview in Islamabad—and if it all clears, green card. Live anywhere in the US, work wherever, bring wife and kids under 21.
Three types people usually go for:
Skilled – two years experience minimum. Truck drivers, welders, chefs, AC fixers, tailors, machine operators.
Professional – bachelor’s degree or similar. Teachers, accountants, some nurses, IT support, engineers.
Unskilled (EB3 unskilled visa) – no degree, basic training. Caregivers, home health aides, hotel housekeepers, kitchen helpers, warehouse packers, cleaners, landscaping guys, construction helpers.
EB3 unskilled visa is the easiest to qualify for, but only about 10,000 spots a year worldwide. That’s why it drags so much.
The pause since January 21, 2026 is the real killer right now. US State Department stopped stamping immigrant visas (green cards) for people from 75 countries. Pakistan’s on the list. No end date. List has Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Iran, Russia, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Algeria, Haiti, Iraq, Morocco, Nepal… tons more. They say extra checks so new immigrants don’t use too much public benefits/welfare. Dual nationality with a non-listed passport might help, but for most with only Pakistani passport, final stamp is blocked.
What you can still do:
Look for a sponsor.
Employer files PERM.
USCIS approves I-140.
Do medical, police character certificate, DS-260.
Go to interview in Islamabad.
But no stamp. No green card till pause ends.
EB3 visa processing time people are dealing with:
PERM – 16–23 months average (DOL is slammed).
I-140 – 8–16 months normal, 15–45 days premium.
Bulletin wait – 2–5+ years, unskilled way longer.
Total – 3–6 years typical, plus pause delay.
February 2026 bulletin: skilled/professional around October 2023 (small move), unskilled stuck September 2021.
Jobs sponsoring Pakistanis: caregivers, hotel cleaning/food service, warehouse/construction helpers, janitors/landscaping. Check EB3.work but Google companies hard. 50–70 lakh upfront or “visa in 6 months” = scam.
Best EB3 consultant Pakistan people mention in Lahore groups:
Apricot Tours – active, lots of families like them.
Innovators Consultant – honest, some real approvals.
ApplyUSAVisas (Gulberg) – office you can walk into, explain pause straight.
Others: Abrish Consulting, Fly High, Lalani’s – mixed but some good FB posts.
Visit in person. Ask for recent clients. Pay step by step—never all at once.
Other Paths People Are Looking At
e2 visa (Treaty Investor Visa)
Still open, no pause. Pakistan qualifies. Invest $100k–$200k+ in real US business you run. Create jobs (2–3+ Americans ideally), active not passive. Renewable forever. Spouse works, kids study. Processing 3–6 months Islamabad. Lots of Pakistanis eyeing e2 visa because EB-3 is frozen at the end.
eb1 visa (Priority Workers)
Fastest green card—no backlog for Pakistan 2026.
EB-1A: extraordinary ability (top field—awards, publications, high salary).
EB-1B: outstanding professors/researchers.
EB-1C: multinational execs/managers.
No PERM, fast I-140 (premium 15–45 days), total 8–18 months often. But very hard to qualify—most don’t.
eb2 visa (Advanced Degree or Exceptional Ability)
Good middle ground. Master’s or bachelor’s + 5 years experience, or exceptional ability. NIW skips job offer/PERM if work benefits US (IT, medicine, engineering, research, startups). Pakistanis get NIW a lot. Backlog exists—February bulletin around July 2022. Total 2–4 years, pause hits stamping.
Quick comparison feel:
e2 visa – fast entry, money needed, renewable, no pause.
eb1 visa – fastest green card if top-tier, no backlog.
H1B visa – U.S. work visa for skilled professionals in specialty occupations.
eb2 visa – solid green card if skilled, NIW helps skip sponsor.
Affan, the pause sucks—feels like everything stopped. But early EB-3 is still moving, and people are shifting to e2 visa, eb1 visa, eb2 visa while waiting. If you’re serious, talk to a real lawyer who knows Pakistan cases.
Unskilled EB-3? Skilled? Money for E-2? Field for EB-1/EB-2? Tell me more, I’ll try help without sounding scripted.
