Barbados passport holders wishing to remain longer in the United States will now have it easier to renew their visas. The US government plans to wave the interview process by the end of August, for all qualifying Bajans who apply for a US visa renewal.
According to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Wildey, St Michael, the decision has been taken as a part of ongoing efforts to improve and facilitate the visa process.
The release also clearly states that Barbadians qualify for a US visa interview waiver if their previous visa expired at most, 12 months ago. They should also be applying for the same visa category if they wish to get the interview waiver.
“The applicant must be physically present in Barbados or within the consular district of the US Embassy in Bridgetown to avail themselves of this option. Additionally, the previous US visa must be in the applicant’s possession, and the applicant must have submitted a ten-fingerprint scan in conjunction with the previous visa application,” the release also reads.
In most cases, children under the age of 14 and elders aged 80 and over, will qualify for an interview waiver. On the other hand, students coming from the island country may qualify for a visa interview waiver if they:
- are renewing the same visa they held before
- fulfill the visa requirements
- are applying to continue attendance at the same institution / to continue the same mayor course just at a different institution
As per those applying to renew their work related visas, they may qualify for a visa interview waiver if they are seeking to renew their visa to return to work for the same employer as previously.
Some of the reasons why the applicants may not qualify for Interview Waivers for visa renewals are as following:
- Their biographic data (name, date of birth, etc.) has changes from last visa
- They obtained their previous visa in another country
- Their previous visa expired more than 12 months ago
- They lost their previous visa or it was stolen
- The visa they held previously has a clearance annotation
- The applicant is under 14 years old and their parents do not have a valid US visa
- The applicant holds dual nationality
- The applicant is currently 14 years old (or more) and was exempted from submitting his / her fingerprints on their previous visa application
It may take up to three weeks for an applicant to receive their visa through the Interview Waiver program.