Through the website of the United States Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador, it was reported that the non-immigrant visa renewal service without an interview is currently suspended, due to the fact that they are processing applications that have entered until June 2021.

There is no date yet when the non-immigrant visa renewal service without an interview will resume.

Nonimmigrant visas are those issued to foreign nationals who do not intend to stay permanently in the United States, such as tourists or business visitors.

The United States Consulate in Ecuador indicated to this newspaper that there is still no date on which the non-immigrant visa renewal service will resume without an interview, but that this option will be available again later.

“The United States Mission in Ecuador continues to process visa applications as quickly and efficiently as possible. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic we have adjudicated over 150,000 nonimmigrant visa applications and continue to process many thousands more applications each week, however our ability to process visa applications is limited due to operational restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic ″, is also indicated on the web portal.

The post states that if the person believes they qualify to renew their visa under the Interview Waiver Program (IWP), wait until this service returns. The estimate that currently exists is that it will return in January 2022.

To know when the service will be available again, the entity recommends continually reviewing its website which you can access at this link.

Conditions to qualify for a renewal under the Interview Waiver Program (IWP)

The United States Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador mentions that there are several parameters that allow a person to know whether or not they qualify for a non-immigrant visa renewal without an interview. These are the following:

  1. You must be an Ecuadorian citizen or legal permanent resident in Ecuador.
  2. If you are not an Ecuadorian citizen, but you are a legal permanent resident of Ecuador, your last visa should have been issued in Ecuador.
  3. You must renew your visa of the same type / classification.
  4. The visa to be renewed must be a multiple entry visa and its validity must not be limited.
  5. The visa you are renewing must be valid or must have expired before 48 months.

Regarding people who want to apply for a non-immigrant visa for the first time, the Consulate informed that interested parties can send their applications. “This option is currently open, but due to the delay we have, appointments / interviews are being granted in 2022. For now, non-immigrant visas (tourist / work / student) are being processed in the consular section in Quito.” (I)