The United States Embassy in Abuja, last Tuesday, commenced the processing certain non-immigrant visa renewal applications without requiring an interview.
The affected visa applications include B1/B2, F, M, J (academic only), H, L, or C1/D (combined only).
The embassy also listed criteria for the processing of the applications, saying that the applicant must have previously received a U.S. non-immigrant visa that expired within the last 24 months, or will expire in the next three months from the date of application.
A statement in Abuja, last Wednesday, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt, said that other criteria include that the previous visa would have been issued in Nigeria; the previous visa was a full validity, multiple entry visa; the applicant is applying for the same visa classification as the prior approved visa; and the applicant has never been arrested or convicted of any crime in the United States (even if they later received a pardon or waiver).
Others are that the applicant has never worked without authorization or overstayed in the United States; and the applicant has not had any significant life changes.
The statement further said, “Each applicant must individually meet all the requirements. Please note, a parent’s qualifications cannot extend to a child. The child must independently meet each requirement. The number of applicants accepted for the Interview Waiver Program may initially be limited.
“Qualified applicants seeking to utilize this no-interview program must set an appointment for document review online at www.ustraveldocs.com/ng.
“On the date and time of the appointment, the applicant must drop off all necessary documents at the address specified in their appointment letter:DS-160 confirmation page,valid passport and previous passports containing the most recent visa to the present,I-20 and I-901 SEVIS receipt, DS-2019 (if applicable), new passport photo, copy of parent’s visa (if minor).
“Applicants will not have access to their passport until processing is completed. Processing times may vary, but are expected to be up to two months. In cases where an interview is deemed necessary, the embassy will return the passport and notify the applicant to set an appointment to appear in person.
“Application fees will remain the same and can be found at travel.state.gov. ($160 for non-petition-based non-immigrant visas, and $190 for petition-based non-immigrant visa categories).
“Notice: Third parties unaffiliated with the U.S. Embassy Abuja may seek to take advantage of various visa services to target visa applicants with fraudulent offers or claims. Remember to rely on information only from genuine sources: www.travel.state.gov, www.ng.usembassy.gov/visas/, and www.ustraveldocs.com/ng. Applicants should fill out their own forms and make appointments themselves using official websites”.

By: Nelson Chukwudi