The United States has suspended interview waivers for renewal of visas, popularly known as the “Dropbox” process in Nigeria indefinitely, it has emerged.
This was made known by a statement released by U.S. Mission to Nigeria on Tuesday.
It explained that the suspension would take effect immediately at the close of business today, stressing that it would no longer accept visa applications by DHL in Nigeria.
The mission, however, gave assurance that those who have already submitted their passports to DHL for processing via “Dropbox” at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos would not be affected by the development.
It added that the processing of diplomatic and official (A, G, and NATO class) visa applications was not also affected.
The new procedure, according to the mission, is what obtained before the introduction of the ‘drop-box process: non-immigrant visa applicants in Nigeria must apply online and appear in-person at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or U.S. Consulate General in Lagos to submit their application for review.
Read full statement below:
Effective at the close of business today, Tuesday, May 14, 2019, the U.S. Mission to Nigeria is indefinitely suspending interview waivers for renewals, otherwise known as the “Dropbox” process.
Visa applications will no longer be accepted by DHL in Nigeria. Those who have already submitted their passports via “Dropbox” to DHL for processing either at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the Consulate General in Lagos, will not be impacted by this change.
All applicants in Nigeria seeking a nonimmigrant visa to the United States must apply online, and will be required to appear in-person at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or U.S. Consulate General in Lagos to submit their application for review.
Applicants must appear at the location they specified when applying for the visa renewal.
Processing of diplomatic and official (A, G, and NATO class) visa applications will continue unchanged.
Mission Nigeria’s processing procedures are regularly reviewed in order to assess our ability to quickly, efficiently, and securely process visa applications.
The U.S. Mission is taking this step to provide more efficient customer service and promote legitimate travel and will continue to facilitate applications of established travelers to the best of its ability.
