Applicants Face Hurdles As US Ends Drop Box Visa Service In Nigeria

The process of renewing United States visa is currently witnessing a significant shift as the drop box visa processing option is no longer available for US visa applicants in Nigeria.

It was gathered that Nigerians seeking to renew their US visas will face fresh hurdles as a result of the new development.

It was gathered that drop box visa service previously allows eligible applicants to renew their visas without an in-person interview.

However, emerging reports indicated that the service has been quietly removed from the appointment booking system.

Applicants, who confided in the press, stated that they have not been able to access the platform suggesting that it may have been removed.

Some sources also confirmed that the feature may have been removed following series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, US Embassy in Nigeria has yet to issue an official statement on the change, leaving many in confusion.

This development is coming amid a backlog of visa applications, with many applicants waiting months to secure drop box appointments before this removal.

According to reports, some even reported waiting nearly a year to get a physical appointment, adding to the frustration of an already tedious process.

This change comes at a time when many applicants had already been struggling with long wait times – some as long as a year – to secure an in-person visa appointment.

As of January, drop box appointment slots were unavailable in Lagos, pushing many applicants to seek alternatives in Abuja.

Now, with the complete removal of the drop box feature, all applicants will have to go through in-person interviews, returning to the process that was in place before 2020.

The drop box (Interview Waiver) program in Nigeria was initially introduced to ease the visa renewal process by allowing certain applicants to submit their documents without attending an in-person interview at the US Embassy or Consulate.

To qualify, applicants had to meet specific criteria, including: Having a prior US visa that expired within the last 24 months, the previous visa must have been issued in Nigeria as a full-validity, multiple-entry visa, applying for the same visa classification as the prior approved visa, and no record of overstaying, working without authorization, or having criminal convictions in the US.

With the recent removal of the drop box feature, Nigerians applying for US visas will now revert to full in-person interviews, adding to the already extended wait times for visa appointments.

This policy shift may significantly impact business travelers, students, and frequent visitors who previously relied on the drop box system for faster renewals.