US embassy to begin ‘no-interview’ visa renewals

The United States Embassy in Abuja has announced it would begin processing certain non-immigrant visa renewal applications without requiring an interview.

The exercise was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 30.

The Embassy’s Senior Public Affairs Specialist, Aishah Gambari, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement was titled, ‘U.S. Embassy in Abuja Begins Interview Waiver Program for Certain Visa Renewals’

The statement said there would be no interviews for visa renewals where: “The visa is B1/B2, F, M, J (academic only), H, L, or C1/D (combined only);

“The applicant 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;

“The previous visa was 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;

“The applicant has never been arrested or convicted of any crime in the United States (even if they later received a pardon or waiver);

“The applicant has never worked without authorization or overstayed in the United States; and

“The applicant has not had any significant life changes.”

The Embassy added, “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.”

It urged qualified applicants seeking to utilise the no-interview programme to set an appointment for document review online, adding that applicants won’t have access to their passport until completion of processing which may be up to two months.

The Embassy also said application fees would remain at $160 for non-petition-based non-immigrant visas, and $190 for petition-based non-immigrant visa categories.