US gives criteria for Nigerian students to renew visa without interview

The United States Embassy in Nigeria has said that Nigerian students currently studying in the US may be eligible to renew their student visas without an interview when they return to Nigeria this summer.

The embassy in a statement issued on Thursday said that 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 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.”

“Applicants in Abuja are advised to visit www.ustraveldocs.com/ng and follow instructions to complete their application and visit a designated DHL facility to drop off their application with the following documents: A printout of their Submission letter (printed from www.ustraveldocs.com/ng).

“They are also required to present a completed DS-160; an approved I-20 ; a receipt for their I-901 SEVIS fee; a GTBank (MRV) receipt for their visa fee; their passport containing the expired student visa (if that passport is expired, a current valid passport is also required) and passport photograph meeting these requirements.

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Lagos applicants are advised to go to www.ustraveldocs.com/ng and follow the instructions to make an interview waiver appointment for a student visa. They are required to come in person to the U.S. Consulate on the date and time of their appointment with the following documents: A completed DS-160; an approved I-20; a receipt for their I-901 SEVIS fee; a GTBank (MRV) receipt for their visa fee; their passport containing the expired student visa (if that passport is expired, a current valid passport is also required) and passport photograph meeting these requirements.

The statement said further that 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,” the statement said.

It said further that “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 center. Scheduling instructions can be found on this link.

“If you do not qualify for a student renewal, please do not cancel your appointment.”

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CREDIT: ALLSCHOOL, Vanguard