NewStats: 3,259,781 , 8,170,900 topics. Date: Monday, 26 May 2025 at 01:03 AM 552z

Hi,

I don't think they officially removed it. I filled my dad's application in January, made payment, got interview waiver on AVITS and he submitted at OIS yesterday.

It's however worthy of note that the IW eligibility has been shortened from 48 months to 12 months i.e. for you to qualify for interview waiver, the visa must have expired within the last 12 months

Meduca:
IW is back.

Hi,

Your drop off should proceed as scheduled. My dad submitted successfully yesterday at OIS.

Zainm:
hello people, what is this news i am hearing Embassy suspending dropbox? I have a drop off in two weeks at the OIS. Is the information confirmed yet? What happens to IW waiting for drop off? Any useful information will be appreciated. Thank you.

please is there a group where I can search for interview date?
new applicant, B1/B2 category
Thank you

jonnepapayo:
please is there a group where I can search for interview date?
new applicant, B1/B2 category
Thank you

There are currently August 2025 dates in Abuja

RipVanWink:


DEPENDS on your risk appetite....
unless there is significant change in your circumstances...rushing to re-apply after a denial is usually a gamble..you are likely gifting your 185usd to the American govt. best to wait minimum 12 months. unless there is significant change in your circumstances

so the thing is, she's elderly and wants to go visit her son and the family over there for 3 weeks. She's a caterer here. I asked her what she answered the last time, she really didn't give good answers from what she told. I had to spot the problem there.

I think applying through cotonu is the best. They didn't prepare her the last time.

Hello All,

I just got a refund of the US Visa fee I paid, which I assume is for one of my parents. Both already have scheduled appointments for Dropbox and interview on February 27, 2025. Has anyone experienced this?

ElixirEnigma:


I have this same issue. Any assistance will be appreciated

Someone suggested putting both my first name and middle name in the first name field. I did that and proceeded, but I got scared, so I canceled it and started over. This time, I didn’t get the duplicate error message again. Mind you, I had already opened a ticket in October, and my ticket is still open as I type this. You can try this too.

dydx2020:
Hello, I'm being invited by a friend who is a US Citizen in Maryland. What are the likely questions being asked on the interview? What's the chance of getting a Visa from Lagos Embassy?

use chatgpt to prepare you for your interview, it will help you genertate possible questions

goldenmindcoy:
Is it not more than 30days)

write to and attach your new ds-160 confirmation page. right now it isa too late as your interview is tomorrow

Mail LagosNIV. They might sort you out.

AFLOM:


What does the interview waiver question look like? I qualify but didn't see the questionnaire. It took me to regular appointment which I booked, and now I believe $185 is wasted.

How long ago did you visa expire? The new rule states your visa must have expired not less than 12 months from application.

AFLOM:


What does the interview waiver question look like? I qualify but didn't see the questionnaire. It took me to regular appointment which I booked, and now I believe $185 is wasted.

Thanks.

VisaZest:
Hi,

Your drop off should proceed as scheduled. My dad submitted successfully yesterday at OIS.

Most likely the OIS Fee. Everyone got a refund. It is not the visa fee that was returned.

Donde:
Hello All,

I just got a refund of the US Visa fee I paid, which I assume is for one of my parents. Both already have scheduled appointments for Dropbox and interview on February 27, 2025. Has anyone experienced this?

Pls has anyone experienced this kinda situation beofe. My F2 visa interview was scheduled today by 8am in Banjul, Gambia. My Ds 160, appointment letter and Receipt all showing Gambia as location of interview but on getting to meet the VO, I was told that my visa interview is to be done in Dakar, A neighboring country. I'm confused and devastated.
Has anyone experienced this before.. and what can I do.

Ive sent email to the consular here in Gambia but there's no response. Also the calls are not helping as the person answering the phone is not familiar with the process.

Can i just forget the MRV and reschedule another interview in Senegal then

dexydidi:


Yes. This is what I did for my mom, I filled and submitted another one the night before her dropbox interview and she was issued her visa.

Should I just fill out another DS160 form and take it to the embassy?, since the information is different?

Not true. He/She can still submit a day before the interwiew, waiver or not. I am speaking from experience.

Abbiemills:


write to and attach your new ds-160 confirmation page. right now it isa too late as your interview is tomorrow

Hi,

You have a unique case and I can understand your confusion.

Did the VO say why they moved your appointment to Dakar?

If all your documents are bearing Gambia and they turned you back and asked you go to Senegal, they owe you an explanation and should take responsibility.

My suggestions:
1. Since you have mailed the Consulate in Gambia, wait on their reply. I am assuming you mailed [email protected]. You can also try mailing [email protected] and calling +220 4384443 or +1 734 274 5048 (from the U.S.). These are the details available on the US Visa appointment site for Gambia
2. Raise a ticket on your AVITS profile
3. Try to reach them using the details in the screenshot attached

Give them a few working days to reply the mail and then send a followup.

Pavillon:
Pls has anyone experienced this kinda situation beofe. My F2 visa interview was scheduled today by 8am in Banjul, Gambia. My Ds 160, appointment letter and Receipt all showing Gambia as location of interview but on getting to meet the VO, I was told that my visa interview is to be done in Dakar, A neighboring country. I'm confused and devastated.
Has anyone experienced this before.. and what can I do.

Ive sent email to the consular here in Gambia but there's no response. Also the calls are not helping as the person answering the phone is not familiar with the process.

Can i just forget the MRV and reschedule another interview in Senegal then

VisaZest:
Hi,

You have a unique case and I can understand your confusion.

Did the VO say why they moved your appointment to Dakar?

If all your documents are bearing Gambia and they turned you back and asked you go to Senegal, they owe you an explanation and should take responsibility.

My suggestions:
1. Since you have mailed the Consulate in Gambia, wait on their reply. I am assuming you mailed [email protected]. You can also try mailing [email protected] and calling +220 4384443 or +1 734 274 5048 (from the U.S.). These are the details available on the US Visa appointment site for Gambia
2. Raise a ticket on your AVITS profile
3. Try to reach them using the details in the screenshot attached

Give them a few working days to reply the mail and then send a followup.

Thank you so much for this..

I called the number and they also seem confused. He said probably it's a misunderstanding based on the nationality on the applicants. However, he said we should wait for 1 business day for the appointment to appear as no show after which we can reschedule for a later day with the Same MRV.

It's past 1 business day tho and it's still not having no show, rather it's showing "No active receipt found for this applicant".. is this the same message it shows when one is denied visa, do you have idea of what this message signifies.

Ps: The consular in Gambia doesn't respond to visa application email, although I called them and they told me they are as confused as I am and since the process of application doesn't lie with them, there's nothing they can do about it.

VisaZest:
Hi,

You have a unique case and I can understand your confusion.

Did the VO say why they moved your appointment to Dakar?

If all your documents are bearing Gambia and they turned you back and asked you go to Senegal, they owe you an explanation and should take responsibility.

My suggestions:
1. Since you have mailed the Consulate in Gambia, wait on their reply. I am assuming you mailed [email protected]. You can also try mailing [email protected] and calling +220 4384443 or +1 734 274 5048 (from the U.S.). These are the details available on the US Visa appointment site for Gambia
2. Raise a ticket on your AVITS profile
3. Try to reach them using the details in the screenshot attached

Give them a few working days to reply the mail and then send a followup.

I raised a ticket on the portal and this is the response ::

'Thank you for ing the U.S. Visa and American Citizens Service. We understand that you are inquiring about confirming the details of the appointment. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate you reaching out to us. Upon checking the the post is for Banjul. If you were not able to attend your appointment, please wait until the next business day - your appointment will be marked as ''no show'' and you will be able to reschedule, within the rescheduling limit fixed by the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Please note that once you reach your rescheduling limit, you will need to pay a new visa fee in order to be able to schedule again, even if your last appointment was marked as ''no show''. We hope you find this information useful. Please visit www.usvisaappt.com for further details. Best Regards, U.S. Visa and American Citizens Service'

URGENT HELP PLS!

Hi everyone,

My parents' B1/B2 visa application was denied in August 2024 when the U.S. was still using the CGI portal. After their migrated to the new AVITS portal, I've been unable to submit a new application. Their portal currently shows a "pending appointment request" status, but clicking on this only results in an endless loading screen across multiple browsers.

Please note that - No MRV fee has been paid after their last application.

Has anyone encountered this problem and how can I fix this? I have raised multiple tickets on the AVITS portal and received no solution yet.

Thank you

Good morning, how are you doing?
Please I have done it as you said but it's asking for another visa payment.. what's the way forward please?
Thank you.

solihp:


If the issue is that you want to pay another visa fee but it’s not allowing you, what I’ve seen worked for duplicate applicant is to put both first name and middle name in the space for first name. Also ensure you delete the current appointment request you’re stuck on and start afresh before using that technique, so you’re not stuck after making payment.

It's so sad, have you tried the suggestion that was mentioned in the post?
All the best to us.

ElixirEnigma:


I have this same issue. Any assistance will be appreciated

Cashmadam:


You need a new photo.

does that mean i have to fill in a new DS-160 form?

hello my duplicate applicant error has been resolved i waited over 4 months mhmmmm, so i ed alfiemens on instagram and they helped me fix it Thanks. NB; there is a dollar pic on the profile photo

Good day All,
Is it a must to book an appointment at ois for port drop off?

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all are doing well.

if a visa is denied do they give a reason & how soon can one reapply? I made a payment in March 2024 and till today I have not been able to use that payment, because I made another payment in September and that has been utilized. I want to claim the one I made in March 2024 IN Gtbank,I have called raised a ticket for that issue and even sent an email to them( This email was given to me at the Embassy) but no response, when I tried following the instructions I was given from the response from the ticket I submitted, I was told duplicate .

Pls what do I do?

Aramide2041:
Good day All,
Is it a must to book an appointment at ois for port drop off?

yup. they security at the gate wanted to see both ois and avits letter at the gate...dunno what would have happened if one had only avits

toluwanimi07:
Guys please my mom's visa interview is next year January she applied for it over a year ago and before the moving of websites. I want to know if i will also get a new email to to the new website since she already has her interview date from the previous website? Or i will still need to get another email?

Please, was your mother able to attend the interview without migrating to the new website?

Hi, was your mother able to attend her interview without migrating to the new website?

Calista1:


Please, was your mother able to attend the interview without migrating to the new website?

I was able to help her migrate to the new website and she was able to go for the interview. They sent the migration details to her email