US visa applicants in Nigeria will now revert to the traditional in-person interview process following the removal of the drop box provision from the appointment booking system.
The streamlined drop box option which once allowed eligible applicants to renew their visas without appearing in person has been quietly eliminated, leaving applicants with no alternative but to attend physical interviews.
Although the US Embassy in Nigeria was yet to issue an official statement regarding the change as of the time of this reporting, multiple applicants have reported that the feature is no longer available when attempting to schedule visa renewals online. This development has been linked to a series of executive orders on immigration from the Trump administration, which have recently begun to impact visa processing protocols.
The removal comes at a time when many Nigerian visa applicants are already grappling with significant appointment backlogs. Reports indicate that some applicants had been waiting months and in some instances nearly a year to secure a physical appointment.
Previously, drop box appointment slots were unavailable in Lagos, forcing applicants to seek alternatives in Abuja. With the discontinuation of the drop box service, all applicants must now undergo the full in-person interview process, effectively reverting to the procedures that were in place before 2020.
The drop box program was initially introduced to ease the visa renewal process by allowing those with a prior US visa to submit their documents without attending an interview. To qualify, applicants needed to meet specific criteria: their previous visa must have been a full-validity, multiple-entry visa issued in Nigeria; it had to have expired within the last 24 months (or 48 months during the expanded COVID-19 measures); and the applicant must have been applying for the same visa classification with no history of overstays or criminal convictions.
This latest policy shift is expected to have significant repercussions for business travelers, students, and other frequent visitors who previously relied on the expedited drop box process.
With all applicants now required to attend in-person interviews, processing times are likely to increase, adding further delays to an already protracted visa renewal process.
