US Hands Win To Kenyans Seeking Visa Renewals
It added that it was part of US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman's pledge to reduce the backlog of visa interview appointments for non-immigrants.
Marvin Chege 
The United States (US) has announced that it has changed the requirements for non-immigrants applying for Visa renewals.
In a statement by the embassy in Nairobi on Friday, September 16, those applying for a tourist, business, student and crew visa renewal will be exempted from taking interviews in the changes.
It added that it was part of US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman's pledge to reduce the backlog of visa interview appointments for non-immigrants.
Wafula Chebukati meets US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman. /IEBC
"As part of Ambassador Whitman’s pledge to reduce the nonimmigrant visa interview appointment backlog, the United States Embassy in Nairobi announced today that it has expanded the Interview Waiver Program for nonimmigrant visas. Effective immediately, those applying for tourist/business (B1/B2), student (F, J, M), or crew visas (C1/D) categories may be eligible for a visa renewal without an interview.
"To qualify for this program, you 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," the statement read.
On its website, the embassy had revealed that aspiring visa applicants would have to wait until June of 2024 to get the highly-important document that will enable them to travel halfway across the world.
It added that the COVID-19 pandemic had forced it to freeze non-immigrant interviews for over a year and resumed in February 2022 on a full capacity basis.
"As the world emerges from the pandemic with renewed interest in travel, U.S. Embassy in Nairobi will continue its concerted efforts to meet the demand for visa services. Due to COVID-19 health and safety measures, nonimmigrant visa interviews at U.S. Embassy in Nairobi ceased for over a year.
"The Embassy restarted interviews at full capacity in February 2022. As we work through the backlog of applications and address the high demand for services, we recognize that some applicants may face extended visa interview wait times," it addressed, adding that this was a similar problem with US embassies worldwide.
Since resuming operations, the embassy has doubled the number of daily interviews and will continue to add additional staff and increase capacity over time, to deal with the massive backlog.
It had taken steps that include updating the US Embassy webpage (http://ke.usembassy.gov) to reflect current visa interview wait times as well as emphasizing that fees are nonrefundable so Kenyans can make informed decisions before submitting their application and paying the associated fees.
The embassy also instituted a visa renewal process that does not require an in-person interview for certain applicants. Kenyans renewing visitor (B1/B2 category) or student visas (F category) whose visas expired less than one year ago may be eligible to renew without an interview.
"We offer expedited appointments for emergency situations, including the death of an immediate family member, the need to travel for urgent medical care, and for students whose program starts in less than 30 days and who will suffer irreparable harm, such as the loss of a scholarship, if they cannot travel," it clarified, however.
US Embassy in Kenya. /FILE
