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Arrive earlier than you think you need to
My appointment was at 8:15 in the morning. I reached the embassy at 5:15 a.m. — and there were still roughly 200 people standing outside the gate ahead of me. If you are a Pakistani student preparing for your F1 interview, I would strongly recommend arriving even earlier than that. The queue outside the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan can be that long before the gates even open.
A practical target: aim to reach the security checkpoint area by 6:30 a.m., because the security process tends to start around 6:00 a.m. If you are at the gate by 6:45 a.m. at the latest, you will move through early and be done well before the counters open at 8:00 a.m. This saves you from standing in extremely long lines for hours on end.
What they check at the main entrance gate
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Book a Mock InterviewAt the main entrance gate, the officer asked me for three things only: my current passport, my I-20, and my DS-160 confirmation page. That was it. I had brought every document imaginable — all my educational certificates, property documents, everything — but none of it was requested at this stage. Once the officer checked those three documents, they placed a small sticker on my passport noting the visa type (F1) and highlighted my appointment date.
A note on your photograph
If you correctly uploaded your photo when completing the DS-160, they will not ask you for a physical photograph at this stage. However, if your photo was not uploaded properly, you will need to provide one. To be safe, carry two to three 2x2 inch photographs with a white background — the exact specifications are listed on the DS-160 website. Better to have them and not need them.
Biometrics — what happens in the corridor
After the gate check, I was directed into a corridor where biometrics were being processed. An officer there verified my passport again — essentially confirming that I was the person on the appointment and that the appointment was genuine. Then the fingerprint scanning began: first the right hand, then the left hand, and finally both thumbs together. Once that was done, the officer told me to join the interview queue.
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