The United States Embassy in Nairobi has announced the expansion of the Interview Waiver Program for nonimmigrant visas.
In a statement on Friday, US ambassador Meg Whitman said this is effective immediately.
“Effective immediately, those applying for tourist/business, student, or crew visas categories may be eligible for a visa renewal without an interview,” she said.
Whitman said to qualify for this program, one must be applying for the same visa category.
“… And your visa cannot have expired more than four years ago. Formerly, the limit was one year,” she added.
This is part of Whitman’s pledge to reduce the nonimmigrant visa interview appointment backlog.
The program enables most citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
Travelers must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorisation approval prior to travel and meet all requirements explained below.