US announces availability of no-interview student visa renewals for Nigerians

The United States of America said Nigerian students in the US on an F1 or academic J1 visa who wish to visit Nigeria during the Christmas or winter break, may be eligible to renew their student visas without any interview.

This was made known by the US Mission in Nigeria in a statement made available on Wednesday.

The F-1 student visa refers to a non-immigrant visa that allows international students to enter the US and study at institutions certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The J-1 exchange visitor visa, on the other hand, is for educational and cultural exchange programmes designated by the Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Condition to qualify: The US mission stated that to qualify for this procedure, such students must be physically in Nigeria, renewing a student visa that is still valid or has expired within the past 24 months.

It noted that the renewal should be either to continue participation in the same major course of study or to attend the same institution even if in a different major course of study.

It pointed out that by scheduling a no-interview student visa renewal appointment, students will be able to drop off their passports at a DHL location in Lagos, on a date and time scheduled 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 prioritise any required follow-up interviews. To schedule a no-interview student visa renewal appointment go to www.ustraveldocs.com/ng and follow the instructions,” the US Mission said.

Requirements for the procedure: The mission said that on the day and time of scheduled appointments, the students should visit a designated DHL facility to drop off their application with the following documents:

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

The mission also said that applicants who do not meet the above criteria should visit and schedule a regular appointment at www.ustraveldocs.com/ng, noting that each applicant must meet the qualifications individually. The mission stated:

• “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.
• “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.’’

For the records: Recall that earlier in February 2022, Nairametrics had reported that the US Consulate General in Nigeria had announced that it would commence the No-interview U.S visa renewal services to aid non-immigrant visa applicants in Nigeria who qualify to renew their visas.

The United States Diplomatic Mission, Public Affairs Section, however, noted that the number of qualified applicants who can apply using the new procedures will be initially limited.

The new procedure which stated that the no-interview visa renewal will commence in February at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos was to be extended to the U.S. embassy in Abuja thereafter.