The United States government has announced a no-interview visa renewal policy for Nigerian students seeking to continue their studies in the US.
The United States Embassy & Consulate in Nigeria made announced on Thursday in statement.
According to the statement, to be eligible for this procedure, students must do their visa renewal physically in Nigeria.
The statement read in part, “If you are currently studying in the United States, you may be eligible to renew your student visa without an interview when you return to Nigeria this summer.
“To qualify for this procedure, you must be physically in Nigeria renewing a student visa that is still valid or has expired within the past 24 months and are renewing your visa either to: (a) continue participation in the same major course of study even if at a different institution; or (b) attend the same institution even if in a different major course of study.”
The statement advised students applying from Abuja to visit “www.ustraveldocs.com/ng and follow instructions to complete your application and visit a designated DHL facility to drop off your application.”
Lagos applicants are also advised to visit “www.ustraveldocs.com/ng and follow the instructions to make an interview waiver appointment for a student visa. You must come in person to the U.S. Consulate on the date and time of your appointment.”
According to the statement, Abuja applicants are required to include with their application “a printout of their Submission letter (printed from ustraveldocs.com/ng; a completed DS-160; an approved I-20; a receipt for your I-901 SEVIS fee; a GTBank (MRV) receipt for your visa fee; your passport containing the expired student visa (if that passport is expired, a current valid passport is also required); and a passport photograph meeting these requirements.” All these documents are to be attached to the application dropped off at the designated DHL facility.
The statement also said Lagos applicants are required to visit the US Consulate on their appointment day and time with “a completed DS-160; an approved I-20; a receipt for your I-901 SEVIS fee; a GTBank (MRV) receipt for your visa fee; your passport containing the expired student visa (if that passport is expired, a current valid passport is also required); and a passport photograph meeting these requirements.”
The statement, however, advised students who do not meet the criteria stated above to schedule a regular appointment.
“Applicants who do not meet these criteria should visit www.ustraveldocs.com/ng to schedule a regular appointment.
“If someone in your family or group does not meet the qualifications above, they must schedule a regular appointment. Each applicant must meet the qualifications individually. For instance, we cannot accept a renewal for a child because the parent qualifies under these guidelines. In that case, the child would need to schedule an appointment and come to the Embassy or Consulate for an interview.
“To remove a dependent that does not qualify for a student renewal from your profile, please follow these steps: Log in to the primary applicant’s profile; Click New Scheduling Appointment; Follow the steps until your reach Step 6; At step 6, check for the dependent’s information and click “x” to remove the dependent’s information from the primary applicants’ profile.
“Scheduled applicants who qualify for the student renewal based on the above criteria can cancel their appointments and re-apply on this link . During the rescheduling process you will be asked questions confirming eligibility for the student renewal program and be provided instructions on how to submit the application through the document delivery centre. Scheduling instructions can be found on this link.