Tourist Visa Renewal

United Arab Emirates Lifts Visa Ban: The United Arab Emirates, on Monday (11th September, 2023), lifted its months-long visa ban on Nigerians. Also, Etihad and Emirates Airlines will resume flight operations in Nigeria immediately.

“President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, finalised a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travellers.

“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay,” the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed in a statement he signed Monday, 11 September, 2023.

In October 2022, the UAE banned nationals of about 20 African countries from entering its borders.

“This is to inform you that we will not be posting 30 days visa applications for these nationalities effective today, October 18, 2022,” the notice partly read.

Affected countries include Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros, and the Dominican Republic.

The United States extends tourist (visitor) visa validity from 24 months to 60 months for individuals (Nigerians) who want to enter the U.S temporarily for business and/or tourism. The new policy starts Wednesday, March 1, 2023, according to the statement by the U.S Consulate General.

According to Punchng, early this year, 2023, the Federal Government directed the implementation of a new visa reciprocity policy for citizens of the U.S with effect from March 1, 2023, following an approval for the kickstart of the new Bilateral Consular Policy Agreements between the U.S and Nigeria

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said the Bilateral Consular Policy Agreements between the two countries also include the reciprocity of five-year tourist visa validity for American citizens pursuant to Section 30 of the Immigration Act, 2015; extension of visa validity to three years for diplomats and government officials between the citizens of both countries.

According to the statement by the U.S Consulate, the visa application fee, currently at $160, would not increase as a result of the increased visa validity, the cost of the visa fee still remains the same.

United States extends Tourist Visa validity to 5 years

The statement reads, “Effective March 1, 2023, the U.S. Mission will increase visitor visa validity from 24 months to 60 months for Nigerians who want to enter the United States temporarily for business and/or tourism.

“The visa validity extension allows Nigerians to use the visa for 60 months to make short trips to the United States for tourism or business purposes before having to renew their visa. The visa application fee, currently USD160, will not increase as a result of the increased visa validity.

The consulate also noted that increasing visa validity was one of several initiatives taken by the U.S to reduce visa appointment wait times in Nigeria.

They also said they will continue to offer No-Interview Visa Renewals to those who meet the eligibility criteria adding that appointments for No-Interview Visa Renewals are readily available.

However, the embassy reiterated that Nigerians “may be eligible for a visa renewal without an interview if your application is for a B1/B2, F, M, J (academic only), H, L, or C1/D (combined only) visa.

“Additionally, the person must be physically present in Nigeria, previous visa was issued in Nigeria, the previous visa is in the same classification as the current application, the previous visa was a full-validity, multiple-entry visa.”

The embassy in listing criteria for applying for visa renewal stated that the previous visa expired within the last 48 months or will expire in the next 3 months from the date of application. The applicant must have all the passports covering the entire period since receiving the previous visa and the passport with the most recent visa.

Also, the person must “never been arrested or convicted of any crime or offense in the United States, even if you later received a waiver or pardon. You have never worked without authorization or remained beyond your permitted time in the United States.”

The embassy informed applicants that the processing times for the programme are expected to be up to two months and applicants will not be able to retrieve their passports during that time.

Minors can apply without an interview only if they meet the eligibility criteria on their own, the statement added.

Source: Punchng and ng.usembassy.gov

In this guide we will learn those documents required for B1/B2 U.S Visa Interview. All the B1/B2 documents checklist for U.S Visa Interview, that will make you successful.

B1/B2 visas are temporary visits that allow you to travel to the United States for visit, for tourism, for conference, for funerals, for graduation, for medication, for business meetings and so on. If you are applying to travel to U.S for any of these categories, you will need B1/B2 Visa.

Documents Required for B1/B2 U.S Visa Interview

If you are preparing for your U.S Visa Interview, make sure to check these B1/B2 documents checklist which have grouped this into two-part, primary documents and secondary documents checklist for B1/B2 visa applications.

Primary documents checklist for B1/B2 visa applications

Below are the primary document that you will need for B1/B2 visa.

1. Passport

You will need a passport that is valid for at least six months.

2. DS160 Confirmation Page

When you filled out and submitted your visa application form, you receive a confirmation of submission. You must always print this page and add it to your documents.

3. Visa Fee Receipt

You should always go with your visa application fee payment receipt.

4. Photo

You must upload this photo during your application, but if you are unable to do so, you must get copies or hard copies of these photos with you when you are going for your interview.

Even if you were able to upload your photo during your application form, make sure you take some photos with you when you are going for your interview.

Secondary documents checklist for B1/B2 visa applications

Supporting documents are documents that you will need to prove your purpose of travel to the United States, your financial support, and your ties back home. Below are this document:

1. Documents for purpose of traveling

(i) Invitation Letter: For purpose of travel, we are talking about invitation letters from the person you are going to visit. If it is a conference, you will still need an invitation letter from the organizers of the conference.

(ii) You will need an itinerary: This is a list of your activities in the United States. If you are going for a visit, you can type and print all the places you would want to visit and add it to your documents. If you are going for a conference, you will need a brochure or the program outline of the conference.

(iii) Accommodation reservation: This details where you will stay while in the United States. Usually this should be part of your invitation letter. But if you are going for your own tourists, assuming no one is inviting or you are not going for a conference and you are going for your own vacation and tourist, you will need a hotel reservation.

(iv) Photo I.D of Invitee: The next document is photo ID of the person you are visiting. If the person you are visiting is a U.S Citizen, you will need his/her ID page of his/her passport.

If the person is a green card holder, you need a photocopy or scanned copy of his green card front and back. Or if the person is in U.S on a visa, like an F1 visa, you are coming for graduation, you will need a passport ID page and the visa page of the person you are visiting.

2. Financial Support Documents

Financial support documents are documents that prove your ability to support your trip. These documents are:

• Bank statements, if you are sponsoring yourself
• An affidavit of support, if your sponsor is in the U.S.
• Letters of sponsorship, if you are going for a conference and any means of proof of funds that you have document to prove.

3. Documents to prove home ties

These are documents that will show that you will come back after your visit or your conference in the United States. Below are the documents:

• Employment letters, if you are employed, you need your employment letter.
• Leave letter i.e a letter from your employer or organization stating that you are on leave and you are using that leave for your visit in the U.S or you are going for a conference.
• School letter: You will also need letters from schools or school registration documents, if you are a student.
• Business or financial documents: You will need businesses and financial documents to prove your asset and your ties back home.

Sometimes you also need some family documents such as marriage certificates and pictures. Also, remember to include any other documents you believe can help your case.

This guide has answered the question, what document should I bring to a US B1 B2 visa interview? Because this is all the documents you need for your B1/B2 visa application. Always remember to prepare well to go for your interview.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information and educational purposes only, and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

Tourist visa is a visa that allows you to visit a country for a short time on holiday. If you have a valid U.S tourist visa or one that expired within the last four years, you may be able to renew it by mail.

Tourism is an integral part of economic development across the world. However, most people traveling to foreign countries need to apply for a tourist visa.

What Is a Tourist Visa?

Tourist visas are official travel documents issued to foreign visitors for leisure purposes. For example, if you are from Ghana and want to visit the U.S, you need to apply for a tourist visa. Every country regulates its visa policy for tourists, and their corresponding embassies and consulates will help you obtain a visa for short-term visits.

B2 visitor visa can also be referred to as Tourist visa. B-2 visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons traveling to United States temporarily for tourism, pleasure or visiting.

A foreign national traveling to the United States for tourism needs a visitor visa (B-2) unless qualifying for entry under the Visa Waiver Program. Tourism is a short visit for vacation, for visiting family and friends, or for medical treatment.

How to renew tourist visa by mail

According to U.S Embassy Ghana verified twitter account:

“More good visa news! If you have a valid tourist visa or one that expired within the last four years, you may be able to renew it by mail. That takes less than a month. To see if you qualify, visit: https://bit.ly/InterviewWaiver”

The above information was published at the U.S Embassy Ghana verified twitter account on October 28, 2022.

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Accra is responsible for providing visa services to those seeking to enter the United States for a temporary period and for those wishing to take up indefinite or permanent residence in the United States.

Eventually immigrant visa applicants can share in this exciting visa updates. Until then fingers crossed.

Tourist Visa Guidelines

While you are visiting a foreign country under a tourist visa, you must keep in mind the following rules:

• You cannot work with a tourist visa.
• You cannot do business under a tourist visa.
• You cannot study while you have a tourist visa.
• You cannot become a permanent resident with a tourist visa.

How to Apply for a Tourist Visa?

To apply for a tourist visa, you need to follow these steps:

• Locate an embassy/consulate in your country of residence.
• Assemble the documents required.
• Pay the required tourist visa fee to the embassy/consulate.
• Attend the visa interview.

Some embassies require you to pay the fee before attending the visa interview, while others may ask to pay the same day. Don’t pay money or make any payment to any person, unless the embassy/consulate.

Is it possible to renew a tourist visa?

You must renew your visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Only diplomatic visa holders and their dependents may renew them in the United States.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.