US embassy resumes Drop Box visa renewal after 20 months’ suspension
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Nigerians who have previously visited the United States without violating visa and other rules have been reaccorded Drop Box service which allows them to renew their visa without attending an interview.
The US Mission in Nigeria announced the resumption of Drop Box service or interview waiver 20 months after it suspended it indefinitely at all its consulates in Africa’s most populous country.
Drop Box visa renewal scheme allows certain applicants to renew their previously issued visas without attending an interview.
This means that an applicant submits documents and gets a visa without personal interview by a US visa officer.
“Applicants who meet the criteria may apply in Lagos until the service is extended to Abuja.
“Please note that only one member of the family unit is required to drop-off the application documents; children are not required to come drop-off in person,” the US Mission explained.
“Processing may take up to two months. Although we anticipate most cases will be processed within a few weeks, once you submit your travel documents, we will be unable to return these to you until your case has been completed.”
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Qualification criteria
The lifting of the suspension was first reported by The Street Journal, quoting a statement issued by the US Mission in Nigeria.
To qualify for visa interview waiver:
- An applicant must be applying to renew a visa in the categories of B1/B2, F, L, H.
- An applicant must satisfy all of the criteria for their visa class.
- If applying as a group or family, all members must fulfil each criterion.
- Applicants aged 79 years and older automatically qualify for interview waiver but are still required to apply and print a copy of their interview waiver letter through the schedule platform.
Backstory
The US mission in Nigeria announced on 14 May 2019 the indefinite suspension of Drop Box process for visa renewals in all its consulates in Nigeria and stressed that applications through DHL courier would no longer be accepted, per Nairametrics.
The mission issued a statement at the time which 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 must appear at the location they specified when applying for the visa renewal. 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 travellers to the best of its ability.’’
The suspension of Drop Box visa application in Nigeria was one of the stringent policies of former US President Donald Trump which also restricted entry into the US by Nigerians and some other nationals based on visa type.
Washington reiterated in March 2021 that Drop Box was still in force in Nigeria after media reports suggested the ban had been lifted.