The waiting time for US visa interview appointment for Kenyans has been increased up to 30 days from seven days. The US embassy in Nairobi announced Tuesday the increase of time to receive the appointment in an internal memo. This is likely to inconvenience many who may be having urgent appointments abroad.
“Please be advised the Visa interview wait time at the US embassy, Nairobi is now 30 days up from seven days. We recommend that you advise your clients to plan ahead so as to avoid unnecessary delays,” read part of the memo sent to the staff there.
But an official at the embassy explained the move was temporary and would be reviewed soon. The official said the move had been occasioned by transfer of some staff from the embassy. “Seasonal demand for visas and the rotation of consular staff does affect the wait time for interviews at the US Embassy during some periods of the year including the months of June, July and August,” the official said.
The official added; “As always, we are working to accommodate and facilitate travel to the United States but recommend that travellers plan ahead.” Applicants pay application fee, which is paid in advance, is Sh16800 and can be paid via M-Pesa. When one applies for a US visa anywhere in the world, the visa officer interviews the applicant in the US consulate or embassy.
Usually, the interview is five to 10 minutes long, and after the interview is conducted, the visa officer has three options to take a decision on your case. The first option is to refuse your visa application on the spot, the second option is to accept your visa application, and the third option is to put your case in “Administrative Processing”. The embassy processes thousands of applications daily.
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