US Immigration from Pakistan

Hey everyone! I m currently in the process of applying for the IR-1 (Immediate Relative) Spouse Visa from Pakistan, and I was hoping someone could guide me regarding the required family-related documentation.

Specifically, I need to clarify:

Do I only need the Marriage Registration Certificate (MRC) issued by the Union Council?
OR
Do I also need the Family Registration Certificate (FRC) issued by NADRA?

Here s the challenge:
My spouse is a U.S. citizen and not a Pakistani national, so in order to be included in the FRC, they would first need to obtain a Pakistan Origin Card (POC) which is an entirely separate process and would add significant time and paperwork.

So my question is:
Is the MRC issued by the Union Council sufficient for the IR-1 visa process, or is the NADRA-issued FRC also mandatory even when the spouse is a foreign national?

Any help from someone who has gone through this process in Pakistan would be truly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Hello,

I am 33 years old male, single from Karachi. My interview is scheduled for 14th May at ISL Embassy. My priority date is June 2016 and I got DQ in Nov 2021. I just have few questions:

1. What documents do I bring? I am planning to bring

1. Original Passport
2. Original Police Certificate
3. 6 2x2inch Passport Pictures
4. Original Birth Certificate (Urdu)
5. True English Translation of Birth Certificate
6. Photocopy of latest filled I864 & the one from 2021.
7. Photocopy of Sponsor's Citizenship
8. Photocopy of sponsor's 2024's tax return & last 3 paystubs
9. Printout of Interview Email
10. Printout of DS260 Confirmation Receipt

(I wasn't given any envelope after medical test, so I don't have anything to take from medical)

Any thing else that I should take with me? Do these photocopies need to be certified? If yes, from where?

2. I am planning on giving my interview in Urdu. I can converse in English but I am not that confident and I am sure I will mess up due to being nervous. Will giving interview in Urdu hurt my chances?

3. Is there any dress code that I should be following? Planning on wearing a suit.

4. I will have my phone with me. I believe I can get a locker in the embassy. Is my assumption correct?

5. Any pointers or tips that you guys can give me? Any possible questions that they can ask me apart from my relationship with the sponsor (father)

Sorry for asking so many questions however I have waited 9 years and I don't want to mess anything up.

Thank you. I appreciate the help.

My spouse in Pakistan is supposed to go to the US embassy in Karachi to get a certified copy of her passport. My question is that does the US consular officer have to sign/stamp the W7 as well or is the certified true copy with their sign/stamp enough?

So I have received my physical green card. I foresee a trip of no more than 3 months out of the country to UK and Pakistan, starting May. But once I return in say in August, I am going to have to structure my life differently. I do foresee unavoidable frequent trips out of the country to UK and Pakistan - UK because I have some professional commitments as a barrister there and Pakistan primarily because of my elderly parent who is living alone there but also because my own neurosurgeon is based there and I do trust him most for follow ups on my brain tumor. Do you think it is a good idea to get a re-entry permit just in case (even though I don't see any trip beyond at most 4 months - or may be a total of 5 months in a single year broken down at two different times of a year)? I have gotten conflicting information on this, so following are my questions, if you would show the usual kindness and answer them:

1. Can you come and go during the period of the re-entry permit or is it a single entry kind of thing?

2. How long are re-entry permits valid for?

3. How long does it take for re-entry permits to be issued and is it possible to have it delivered at the Embassy/Consulate in Pakistan?

4. I understand that the longest you can stay out of the country is 2 years? Is that correct?

5. How many times can a re-entry permit be renewed?

In short is the re-entry permit worth it?

Just so that you know my ties with the US are that my spouse and both my daughters would be living here. Are there any other ties I should establish.

I thank you as usual for your consideration and kindness.

I paid the US immigrant fee on March 15 2025. Had entered the country on December 24, 2024. I am expecting the physical green card to arrive in June. I urgently need to travel to Pakistan and the UK (it is unavoidable - family reasons) before that. I do have that stamp on my passport with an endorsement making it proof of my residency till December 23, 2025. What are the chances that I won't be allowed back in the country on that stamp, given what is going on with this current administration. My second question is whether travelling outside the US would pause my physical green card printing? The idea here is that if the Green card comes while I am in Pakistan, it could be Fedex-ed to me in Pakistan or maybe my wife can also travel to Pakistan and bring it. So is the printing paused when you leave the country?