The U.S. Mission will officially observe only the holidays listed below.

Date	Day	Holiday	Country
Jan 17	Mon	Birthday of M.L. King,Jr.	American
Feb 15	Tue	*Eid-i-Milad-un-Nabi	Pakistani
Feb 21	Mon	President’s Day	American
Mar 23	Wed	Pakistan Day	Pakistani
May 30	Mon	Memorial Day	American
Jul 4	Mon	Independence Day	American
Aug 14	Sun	Independence Day	Pakistani
Aug 31, Sep 1 & Sep 2	Wed, Thu & Fri	*Eid-ul-Fitr	Pakistani
Sep 5	Mon	Labor Day	American
Oct 10	Mon	Columbus Day	American
Nov 6 7 & 8	Sun, Mon Tue	*Eid-ul-Azha	Pakistani
Nov 9	Wed	**Iqbal Day	Pakistani
Nov 11	Fri	Veterans Day	American
Nov 24	Thu	Thanksgiving	American
Dec 5 & 6	Mon&Tue	*9th & 10th Muharram	Pakistani
Dec 26	Mon	Christmas	American

Those interested in viewing the official homepage of the United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan please click HERE.

Those seeking services which can only be provided by an American Citizen Services Section of a US Embassy or US Consulate abroad (such as issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, US Passport, and additional visa pages for a previously issued US Passport) are well advised to attempt to set an appointment for services in advance as doing so can greatly streamline the processing of bona fide requests.

Those seeking travel documents such as the US tourist visa (B-2 visa), US business visa (B-1 visa), US student visa (F-1 visa), and the US exchange visitor visa (J-1 visa) are likely to see their visa application processed at a Non-Immigrant (NIV) Unit abroad. It should be noted that the non-immigrant visa applications noted above are generally analyzed by interviewing Consular Officers pursuant to section 214(b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act.

Those seeking immigrant visas such as the IR-1 visa or the CR-1 visa for foreign spouses and loved ones of US Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents are likely to see their visa application processed at an Immigrant Visa (IV) Unit abroad. It should be noted that the US fiance visa, categorized as the K-1 visa, is processed in much the same manner as the immigrant visas notwithstanding the fact that the K-1 is a non-immigrant visa category.

Those seeking an EB-5 visa as a prospective immigrant investor or an L-1 visa as a prospective intra-company transferee are likely to only see their visa application processed pursuant to an approved immigration petition at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

There are some countries around the world which have programs whereby investors can obtain virtually instantaneous citizenship simply by investing capital into the economy of the country issuing the nationality documents. In the United States, there is no program that operates this way. However, the EB-5 visa does grant the visa holder lawful permanent residence in the USA. This is a substantial benefit and should not be taken for granted as Lawful Permanent Residence is a highly sought after status that allows the Permanent Resident to permanently reside and work in the United States. Many often refer to Lawful Permanent Residence as “Green Card” status. That said, Lawful Permanent Residence is not American Citizenship. Those in the USA in Green Card status are not permitted to vote in elections, run for political office, and such individuals also cannot obtain a US passport. Although, those in Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status may be eligible to obtain a US reentry permit which allows the bearer to leave the United States for as long as two years without raising the presumption of residential abandonment.

Although there is no “citizenship by investment” program in the USA, the EB-5 visa could be the first step in the United States Naturalization process. For example, if an immigrant investor is granted an EB-5 visa and enters the United States, then that individual would be granted permanent residence upon lawful admission. After residing in the United States for a statutorily prescribed period of time, and assuming all other criteria are met, it may be possible for an EB-5 visa holder to apply for naturalization. Naturalization is the process whereby a foreign national becomes a United States Citizen. The process can be somewhat cumbersome and for those unaccustomed to dealing with immigration matters it may seem complex and frustrating at times, but upon approval of a petition for naturalization an EB-5 Immigrant Investor could theoretically obtain United States Citizenship.

Even though the United States does not offer a direct “Citizenship by Investment” program, one could argue that the US offers a “Path to Citizenship” by Investment program in the form of the EB-5 visa which places holders of said visa on track to possible American Citizenship should all other criteria be adhered to and the physical presence requirement be met.

For related information please see: EB-5 Visa Thailand, EB-5 Visa China, or EB-5 Visa Taiwan.