VisaPakistan work-visa applicants face a seven-day response window when files are returned
The Board of Investment’s current work-visa guidance warns of cancellation after an unanswered review request; older official pages differ on visa duration and processing.
Official source date: 2026-11-01
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
A returned application creates a short response deadline
Foreign employees and sponsoring businesses using Pakistan’s work-visa system should monitor returned applications closely. The Board of Investment’s current work-visa guidance says an application is cancelled if the applicant does not resubmit within seven days after it is sent back for review. It also says the processing period restarts from resubmission. This is a current procedural explanation, not an announcement that a new cancellation rule began on 1 November.
The BOI page directs companies employing expatriates to the online visa system and distinguishes entry applications from extensions by a person holding a valid Pakistani visa and residing in Pakistan. Its stated general processing period is four weeks. A request for more evidence therefore affects both the immediate seven-day response and the subsequent assessment timetable. Use the BOI work-visa page to identify that response requirement and check the actual request in the application account; a recruitment timetable does not replace the immigration deadline.
Keep the employer’s evidence and the applicant record aligned
The BOI page distinguishes employment by a registered company from employment by a single-person business. The latter requires employer tax certification and employer identity evidence in addition to the job or sponsorship documentation. It also calls for legal-residence proof when applying from a third country, and for the valid visa and passport entry stamp when seeking an extension.
The Pakistan Online Visa application guide explains how the applicant selects the visa category, entry or extension, number of entries and requested duration. Extension applicants enter their existing visa and passport details. Travel dates and intended entry and departure ports are recorded separately. These fields should agree with the employment evidence, rather than being copied from a prior trip without review. The guide shows a tracking ID and application summary being generated as the process advances. Keep that reference available when coordinating a returned-file response with the sponsor, so both parties are working on the same case.
A legible upload is different from a completed response
NADRA’s dedicated document-uploading guide permits JPEG, JPG, PNG and PDF files, with an allowed size of 7 MB. It covers the photograph, passport and supporting evidence required for the selected visa type. Use that resource to prepare files that the system can accept; it does not remove a category’s substantive document requirements.
For an illustrative returned-file case, an employee asked for a clearer passport page should obtain a readable scan, check that the details match the application, attach it in the requested place and complete the required resubmission step before the review window closes. Merely sending a copy to the employer does not establish that the immigration file has been resubmitted. Retain the account’s confirmation rather than assuming that selecting a file completed the response. The separate application guide, rather than an informal messaging exchange, explains how to navigate the online case.
Resolve conflicting duration and fee descriptions before committing travel
Older DGI&P category guidance describes an initial three-month, single-entry work visa and a subsequent extension, with a BOI recommendation mandatory for extension. The BOI work-visa page instead describes entry and extension as two-year, multiple-entry products. These published descriptions do not establish that every applicant receives the same duration. Ask the responsible authority which procedure applies and plan around the terms actually granted; do not infer a two-year entitlement from a general web page.
Fees also require care. DGI&P’s fee page is marked last modified in October 2023 and distinguishes work charges from some nationality-based visa concessions. It should not be treated as a new fee announcement or proof that a visitor’s exemption covers employment. The online application guide explains that the fee calculator uses category, subcategory, entries and nationality. Use that calculation for the actual case and clarify any separate BOI service charge before payment. DGI&P’s contact page provides a visa-policy enquiry route, while the BOI work-visa page identifies its visa officer. Those are the appropriate resources for unresolved category questions, rather than promises of approval from a recruiter.
