THE United States Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria, on Tuesday, said it had expanded its services to enable qualified non-immigrant visa applicants to renew their visas without appearing for interviews.
The new application procedure will commence in February at the US Consulate in Lagos.
It will be extended to the US Embassy in Abuja on a later date.
Before now, applicants for US visa must appear physically for interviews at the embassy in Abuja or Lagos.
Applicants were required to schedule appointments for the interview either online or through the call centre.
A statement from the US mission in Nigeria, which announced the new procedure, however, disclosed that the number of qualified applicants that could apply would be limited for now.
The statement added that the visa processing period was expected to be up to two months.
Applicants will not retrieve their passports during the period as the documents will only be returned when the process has been completed.
Each applicant must individually meet the criteria but minors can apply without interviews only if they meet the eligibility criteria on their own.
The statement explained that those who were qualified for visa renewal without interview would be people with application type B1/B2, F, M, J (academic only), H, L or C1/D (combined only) visa.
The concerned applicants must meet the following criteria:
- If their previous visa was issued in Nigeria.
- If their last visa is in the same classification as the current application.
- If their previous visa has full validity multiple entry visas.
- If their previous visa expired within the last 24 months or will expire in the next three months from the date of application.
- If they have all their passports covering the entire period since they received the previous visa and the passport with the most recent visa.
- If they have never been convicted for any crime or offense in the United States, even if they later receive a waiver or pardon.
- If they have never worked without authorisation or remained beyond their permitted time in the United States.
Intending applicants are to pay their visa fees online or pay in cash at the assigned bank before applying to renew their visa.
After payment, they are expected to visit the US travel website and start their application by following all the steps.
The mission reminded the public to rely on information only from genuine sources: https://travel.state.gov, https://ng.usembassy.gov/visas/, and https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ng to avoid falling victim to fraudsters.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance