US scraps interviews for some visa categories in Kenya

The American embassy in Nairobi has waived interview requirements for some non-immigrant applications to reduce Covid-linked backlog.

The waiver applies to those holding visas that expired no more than four years ago, as opposed to the former limit of just a year at most.

“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,” the US embassy said in a statement Friday.

Kenyans have expressed frustrations about being forced to wait for months to get interview appointments when trying to secure or renew travel visas to the US. Others have been forced to cancel or reschedule their travel plans.

In July, the embassy had said the next available visa appointment would be in June 2024.

However, when the new ambassador, Meg Whitman, arrived in Kenya last month, she pledged to sort the issue and reduce the backlog speedily.