Editorial guidelines
How we decide what goes on a page
Where every visa figure on this site comes from, how we mark our own advice, and how each country page stays current. Last updated 10 September 2026.
The short version
Every visa figure comes from an official government source, or the sentence that carries it says it is our advice. Every country page shows the date it was last checked. We prepare applications. The embassy or immigration authority decides them.
Sources
Where do the figures come from?
Official instruments first. Anything else is labelled for what it is.
Official sources
- Laws, decrees and official gazettes
- Immigration authority pages
- Embassy and consulate pages for Pakistan
- Tax authority statements, where they exist
Our own advice
- Savings we recommend beyond the rule
- How many months of statements to prepare
- Monthly figures worked out from annual ones
- Family estimates that are arithmetic
Traceable to the page
- A link to the page that states the rule
- The law or decree named, where there is one
- The date we last read it
- Where the official list stops
What we do not use. Other visa agencies, aggregator and comparison sites, law firm blogs and forum posts are never the source of a rule or a figure on this site.
When official pages disagree, we say so. Some countries publish a formula and no figure, and two parts of the same government can read it differently. We name both readings, say which one we prepare files to, and keep both on the income requirements page.
When an official page is silent, we say that too. If a checklist does not mention a document, we write that the checklist does not mention it. We do not turn silence into a rule in either direction.
Keeping it current
How do country pages stay up to date?
Three checks built into the site. We also update a page as soon as we learn a government or embassy has changed a rule, fee or document list.
Check 1
A checked date on every route
Each country page shows the day we last read its figures against the official source.
Check 2
A review date within 90 days
Every route carries a date by which it must be checked again. Once it passes, the site cannot be republished until that route is re-checked.
Check 3
One source for every figure
Figures on every page are drawn from a single data file, so a correction made once reaches every page that uses it.
Writing
What we write, and what we will not
On every page
- Plain languageShort sentences, and the rule before the detail.
- The Pakistan filing stepWhere to apply, and what the mission there publishes.
- Where the official list stopsSaid openly, not filled in from another country.
- Rules, readings and advice kept apartYou can always tell which one you are reading.
Never
- A promised approvalThe authority decides, not us.
- A rule no official page statesIf we cannot source it, it is not on the page.
- Commentary on other sitesWe answer the question instead.
- Tax adviceWe point to what the authority says, and to an adviser.
People and tools
Who writes and reviews our pages?
Written from casework. Our pages are written by the Next Visa Step team, from experience preparing digital nomad and residence applications for Pakistani applicants, including apostille and embassy requirements. Where a topic needs it, an outside professional may review a page.
AI tools assist, people decide. AI tools may help with research and drafting. Every figure is checked against its official source, and every page is reviewed and edited by a person before it is published.
Spotted something out of date?
Tell us the page and the sentence, and the official source if you have one. Our corrections policy explains what happens next.