My visa category is academic J-1 and will expire in May, but my stay has been extended up to August. Because I may travel between May and August, I decided to renew my visa while here for the break.
According to the US embassy (https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-visarenewfmj.asp) says that FMJ visa holders can get renewed with an interview waiver. I've paid my MRV, accomplished my DS-160, and have set up an account at https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/. However, the system is forcing me to make an appointment -- it is not giving me the "Step 7" prompt that asks visa holders if they will renew (I tried this for B1/B2, and it works as expected). I have another friend who is an F-1 and is eligible for renewal, but he also doesn't get the interview waiver prompt.
I called the hotline at ustraveldocs and different agents gave me different answers. One said that Step 7 won't appear if I'm ineligible; the other two said it was a system problem. Has anyone ever had an interview waiver for an FMJ renewal? Thanks!
