The United States Embassy in Abuja will begin the processing of certain non-immigrant visa renewal applications without an interview.
A statement from the Embassy indicated the conditions attached to the processing to include: 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.
Other conditions include: 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.
Each applicant the statement indicated 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 the statement directed must set an appointment for document review online at ustraveldocs.com/ng.
On the date and time of the appointment, it reveals 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).
The exercise is effective from Wednesday, March 30, 2022,
The Applicants, the statement said 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.
It informed that application fees will remain the same and can be found at travel.state.gov. ($160 USD for non-petition-based non-immigrant visas, and $190 USD for petition-based non-immigrant visa categories.)
The statement noted that 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.
It called on public to rely on information only from genuine sources: travel.state.gov, ng.usembassy.gov/visas/, and ustraveldocs.com/ng. Applicants should fill out their own forms and make appointments themselves using official websites.