US announces visa renewals without interview for Nigerian students

By YANGE IKYAA

The United States Embassy has announced that it is now conducting visa renewals for students without interviews.

In a statement sent to The Africanscholar on Wednesday, the US Mission in Nigeria said:

“If you are currently studying in the United States on an F1 or academic J1 visa, you may be eligible to renew your student visa without an interview when you return to Nigeria over the winter break.

“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.

“By scheduling a no-interview student visa renewal appointment, you’ll be able to drop off your passport at a DHL location in Lagos, on a date and time you schedule using the Consulate’s online booking system. The U.S. Mission in Nigeria is committed to returning your passport to you within two weeks from your appointment date and will prioritize any required follow up interviews. To schedule a no-interview student visa renewal appointment go to www.ustraveldocs.com/ng and follow the instructions. On the day and time of your scheduled appointment, visit a designated DHL facility to drop off your application with the following documents:

“A printout of your submission letter (printed from www.ustraveldocs.com/ng)
A DS-160 completed in the last six months
An approved I-20
A receipt for your I-901 SEVIS fee
Your passport containing the expired student visa (if that passport has expired, a current valid passport must be included)
A passport photograph taken in the last six months meeting these requirements

“IF YOU DO NOT MEET THE ABOVE CRITERIA THEN FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

“Applicants who do not meet the above criteria should visit and schedule a regular appointment at www.ustraveldocs.com/ng.

“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 if the parent is the only one who qualifies under the 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 from the primary applicants’ profile.

“Scheduled applicants who qualify for the no-interview student visa renewal based on the above criteria can cancel their appointments and re-apply at 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 center.

“If you do not qualify for a no-interview student visa renewal, please do not cancel your appointment.”