The United States mission to Nigeria has announced the indefinite suspension of interview waivers for visa renewals, otherwise known as the “Dropbox” process.
The embassy said visa applications will “no longer be accepted by DHL in Nigeria.”
It said all applicants in Nigeria seeking a non-immigrant 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 are to appear at the location they specified when applying for the visa renewal.
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, the mission said.
Also, the processing of diplomatic and official (A, G, and NATO class) visa applications will continue unchanged.
The statement said, “Mission Nigeria’s processing procedures are regularly reviewed in order to assess our ability to quickly, efficiently, and securely process visa applications.
CONSULAR NOTICE: Interview waivers for renewals, otherwise known as the “Dropbox” process is indefinitely suspended effective today, Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Visa applications will no longer be accepted by DHL in Nigeria . Read details » https://t.co/V0wEnFB4AJ pic.twitter.com/KXlsQl4cWq
— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USEmbassyAbuja) May 14, 2019
“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.”
TheNigerialawyer recall that ‘Drop Box’ aka Interview Waiver Program (IWP) was introduced many years ago in Nigeria to allow certain Nigerian U.S. visa applicants who are applying to renew their visas in the same class of a visa previously issued by a Consulate/Embassy in Lagos or Abuja to be considered for a waiver of the visa interview requirement.
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