US announces visa interview waiver prog for qualified BD applicants

The consular section of the US Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday announced an interview waiver programme for qualified Bangladeshi nonimmigrant visa applicants. This programme permits consular officers to waive interviews for certain qualified nonimmigrant visa applicants who are renewing their nonimmigrant visas, said a media release. The US Embassy, however, stressed that eligibility for the interview waiver does not guarantee a visa issuance nor does it guarantee that the interview will be waived. This programme is not for first-time applicants and it is only for certain applicants renewing their visas, it said. In general, qualified applicants will be those who are renewing a visa, are citizens or residents of Bangladesh and are currently residing in Bangladesh, and are applying for the same type of visa as previously issued. Their previous visa will have to have been issued on or after January 1, 2008 and qualified applicants will have had no visa refusals in any category since their previous visa, acording to a news agency.