A New Process for U.S. Non-Immigrant Visa Appointment to begin in July

On July 31, the process for making an appointment for a non-immigrant visa to the United States will change.  The new visa appointment system will empower the applicants to schedule a visa interview at a date that is convenient for them, provide them with more options to pay for visa fees, and make more visa interviews available for legitimate travelers by streamlining the visa process.

In preparation for this change to the system, during the month of July 2014, the U.S. Embassy will ONLY accept visa appointments via the Expedited Visa Appointment system. Click here for more information on how to request an expedited visa appointment.

NOTE: Holders of a valid U.S. visa or a U.S. visa that has expired in the last 24 months are eligible to renew their visa without an appointment every Wednesday beginning at 11:00am, excluding the last Wednesday of each month and official holidays.

Non-Immigrant Visas

International visitors contribute to the vibrant cultural, educational and economic life of the United States of America, and the American people are proud of their tradition of welcoming visitors with secure borders and open doors.  Nationals of most countries, including Cameroon, must have a visa to travel to the U.S.  The most common types of visa are Business/Tourist Visas and Student Visas. The type of visa needed is defined by immigration law and is determined by your purpose of travel.

Visa appointment scheduling procedure JULY 2014

• Complete the DS-160 visa application form:https://ceac.state.gov/genniv
• Follow the Expedited Visa Appointment request steps found here.
  • Each individual requesting a visa must complete an Expedited Visa Appointment questionnaire.
• Arrive promptly at the U.S. Embassy Consular entrance at on the date of your appointment with all necessary documentation for the relevantcategory of visa.
  • You will not be admitted for an interview if you arrive 30 minutes prior your appointment time, or 30 minutes after your appointment time.

A note on passports

The United States Embassy in Cameroon requires Cameroon citizens applying for immigrant and non-immigrant visas to present machine-readable passports. Older hand-written passports lack security features that protect against counterfeiters. This requirement does not apply to travelers with diplomatic and service passports. 

Read the rest of this story on the website of the United States Embassy in Cameroon.