How to Get An Early US Appointment Date in Nigeria

Since the Covid 19 pandemic and lockdown, getting a USA visa application date in Nigeria has become very difficult. One of the reasons is the Covid 19 lockdown which lasted for many months. It is one of the factors for the unavailability of USA appointment dates in Nigeria. These updates have made the United States embassy reduce interview days from 5 days to 2 days a week. It doesn’t matter whether it is Lagos or Abuja. Getting a USA appointment date in Nigeria is now very difficult. 

Why You need an Early US Appointment Date / Expedited

Before you can visit the United States of America or get a USA visa, you need first to book an appointment date. To book the USA appointment date, you need to make payment for a USA visa fee. After that, you can then apply for a USA visa. You will have to attend the interview in person. After the interview, you can either be granted a US visa or denied. 

Documents Needed for A US Interview Date 

Documents You Need for USA Visa Interview in Nigeria 

1. International passport 

2. Two coloured Passport Photograph with white background (uS visa Standard) 5 cm by 5cm or 2-inch x 2 inch

3. DS-160 Confirmation 

4. Appointment Confirmation 

5. Visa Fee receipt 

6. Invitation Letter 

7. Hotel Reservation 

1. A valid International passport with a minimum validity of six months before your travel date. What that means is this. If you plan to visit the United States of America in December 2021, your passport should have a minimum validity of 6 months. Your passport should have a minimum validity of not less than June 2022.

2. USA Visa application fee receipt from GTBank: GTB is the only approved bank for buying USA visa fees. 

3. DS-160 Confirmation page 

4. Appointment Confirmation which is proof that you have an appointment date with the United States embassy. 

5. I-20 for students visa 

6. If you have been invited to the United States by friends or family, you also need to take a copy of the invitation letter with you. 

7. You can also take a copy of your hotel reservations and itinerary if you have made such plans. 

These are the basic requirements for a USA visa interview. There may be other requirements for some other classes of visas. 

Also Read: How to Get Dubai Visa in Nigeria

Cost for a USA Visa in Nigeria

For a non-immigrant visa, this includes tourism, business, student etc. The cost for a Non-Immigrant Visa is $160. It is equivalent to Sixty Seven Thousand Two Hundred Naira (N67,200). The fee covers the following classes of visa: 

B – Visitor Visa: Business, Tourism, Medical treatment: This type of visa is strictly for business and pleasure. 

C-1 – Transiting the United States: This is for a transit visa. 

D – Crewmembers – Airline, Ship: This is applicable for airline or ship crew members. 

F – Student, Academic: This is a student visa. It is applicable for applicants going to the United States for Study.   

I – Media and Journalists: This is for journalists and media personnel. 

J – Exchange Visitors *Applicants for J visas participating in official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges: No Fee (See Exchange Visitor Visas for further detailed fee information.)

M – Students, Vocational

TN/TD – NAFTA Professionals

S – Witness or Informant*

T – Victim of Trafficking in Persons*

U – Victim of Criminal Activity*

Scheduling USA Visa appointment

You can only schedule a visa appointment twice with the same visa receipt. That is, you can book an appointment date twice with the same visa receipt. The portal allows you to cancel an appointment once. Once you cancel, you can reschedule the appointment date to a later date. 

How to Change Appointment Date

If you can not make the appointment date, it is better to cancel and reschedule. However, you only have one lifeline after you cancel the date. To change the US Appointment date in Nigeria, cancel the appointment date. You can then start the process all over. 

Opening time At the USA Embassy

The USA embassy opens at 6:30 am every day. However, since the pandemic, the embassy opens twice a week. Between 7 am and 12 pm. The last batches of appointments are scheduled for noon. 

Reasons for the Difficulty in securing a USA Visa Interview Dates

1. Covid 19 Pandemic: There was lockdown for over six months, the US embassy did not open for almost a year. All visa application interviews scheduled for the lockdown period were cancelled. Applicants will have to reschedule.  

2. Interview days reduced: The United States embassy has not been working at full capacity since after the lockdown. Interview days has been reduced to two days a week. 

3. Reduce the number of people visiting the United States: This may also be an attempt to reduce the influx of people moving into the United States, especially from countries worst hit by the Covid 19 pandemic. 

How to Get an Early US Appointment / Expedited Date

Now that you understand everything about the United States visa interview dates. Here is how to get an early USA appointment date. Kindly follow these steps if you are looking for an early US appointment date in Nigeria.  

US Visa Fee: For you to get an appointment on the US portal, you need to make the payment for the US visa fee. It can be done at any Guaranty trust bank branch or using the GTB (now GTCO) internet banking portal or app. Once you make payment, you will be issued a receipt. The receipt contains the UID number which is needed on the USA visa appointment portal to book an interview. 

Ways to Make Payment For The USA Visa fee

1. Guarantee bank Branch

2. Guarantee TRustr bank Internet bank 

3. Guarantee Trust bank App

Correctly Fill Your DS-160 form: This is the first step when starting the USA visa Application process. Once you fill the DS-160 form, it will generate a ten digits barcode. Use this barcode for booking the interview date.  

To fill the DS-160 form, kindly visit https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ and fill in all the information correctly. On the interview location, select either Lagos or Abuja, depending on the location closest to you. 

The second step is to create a US visa appointment profile. You can do this with your DS160 confirmation and your visa fee receipt. Kindly Visit www.ustraveldocs.com to create a new profile. Fill in the necessary information. It will display a list of available dates on the US embassy appointment portal. Kindly click on your preferred date on the calendar and choose a convenient time. Congratulations, your USA appointment date has been scheduled.

Tips for Getting an early US Appointment Date in Nigeria

Getting an early US appointment date in Nigeria has become very difficult. If you are looking for ways to get an early date. These are some tips to follow 

1. Submit early: Ensure you fill in your application in time and submit it early. 

2. Check at Odd Hours: The United States does not have a specific date and time when they release early interview dates. To get an early USA visa appointment date, you need to keep checking the site even at odd hours. They sometimes release dates early in the morning or late at night. 

3. Follow up with news and updates regarding USA visa appointment dates.

If you need help with the USA visa application, please kindly contact Travelwaka.  

Please send us a message to tour@travelwaka.com. You can also reach out to us on social media.

Instagram – www.instagram.com/travelwaka_tours

Facebook – www.facebook.com/travelwakatours 

Process for Applying for Early US Visa Interview Dates In Nigeria

All Nigerian applicants applying for the USA non-immigration visa are required to appear in person. You can either choose the USA embassy in Abuja or the consulate in Lagos. The application is usually an oral interview. The consular would ask you questions based on your application. You are required to respond to all the questions truthfully. The location for the interview is determined by the location you chose on the Appointment profile.

DropBox Scrapped

Before May 14, 2019. There was a waiver for USA visa renewals for Nigerians who have had a US visa. Applicants do not have to come for an interview. They would send their visas to the United States Embassy for renewal. On May 14, 2019, the United States embassy scrapped the dropbox system. The dropbox system is now suspended indefinitely. Therefore all Nigerian applicants must renew in person. 

Current US Visa Appointment wait times in Nigeria

In case you are wondering What is the US Application Wait Time in Nigeria? The current wait time for the USA visa appointment date in Nigeria as of October 2021 is one year. What it means is to get an early date, you will have to wait for a minimum of one year. It will get better as restrictions on Covid 19 are lifted.   

Location of the US Embassy in Nigeria

The United States have two locations in Nigeria where you can process your visa. The two locations are Lagos and Abuja. Please find the locations below.   

Address of the US Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria

U.S. Embassy Abuja, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja, Nigeria. 

 Website: https://ng.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulate/abuja/

Address of the US Consulate in Lagos, Nigeria

U.S. Consulate Lagos, 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

Website: https://ng.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulate/lagos/

If you are having difficulties in getting an early appointment date 

Please send us a message to tour@travelwaka.com. You can also reach out to us on social media.

Instagram – www.instagram.com/travelwaka_tours

Facebook – www.facebook.com/travelwakatours 

US Visa Interview Questions 

US visa interview is one of the easiest in the sense you are interviewed based on what you filled in your form. The consular is only trying to know if all the information you provided 

Terms and Conditions of the US Visa 

1. Visa fees are non-refundable. Even if you miss the appointment date, cancel, or you were not granted the visa. The fees are non-refundable.  

2. Visa can be cancelled after issuance if they find out that you gave false information. 

3. The US visa has validity: Depending on the type of visa. The United States visa has a validity date.

4. You may still be denied entry to the United States of America with a valid visa at the point of entry. If the immigration finds something suspicious on you or you could not explain your reason for coming to the United States. You may be denied. 

5. After rejection, you can still reapply for a USA Visa at any time. 

6. You can only reschedule an appointment date once. It means you can only use the same visa receipt to book an appointment twice. If you cancel the second appointment, you automatically lose the visa receipt. You will have to buy another one to make another appointment date. 

Need Assistance With Early US Visa Application / Appointment Dates?

If you need help or further enquiries. Please send us a message to tour@travelwaka.com. You can also reach out to us on social media.

Instagram – www.instagram.com/travelwaka_tours

Facebook – www.facebook.com/travelwakatours 

Please kindly share your experiences regarding the US visa interview dates for Nigeria. Do you have questions or enquiries? Please kindly ask in the comment section.