The United States Embassy in Nigeria on Tuesday said it’s upgrading its services to assist qualified non-immigrant visa applicants.
Disclosing the news during a press conference on Tuesday at the U.S Consulate in Lagos, the U.S Mission Country Consular Coordinator, Susan Tuller, noted that the project was for no-interview visa renewals.
On Tuesday, May 14, 2019, the U.S embassy indefinitely suspended interview waivers for renewals, otherwise known as the ‘Dropbox’ process.
The ‘Dropbox’ process ensured that applicants in Nigeria seeking a non-immigrant visa to the US must apply online and would be required to appear in person at the US Embassy in Abuja or US Consulate General in Lagos to submit their application for review.
Tuller said the pilot project would be commencing at the US Consulate in Lagos state for applicants.
She added that it would be limited initially and applied only to applicants for academic exchange, work, study and tourist visas seeking renewal and those who have a previous visa that expired within the last 24 months or will expire in the next three months from the date of application.
“This is not a non-immigrant visa interview waiver process known as the ‘dropbox.’ The new application procedure will begin in February at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos and will be extended shortly thereafter to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja. The number of qualified applicants who can apply using the new procedures will be limited initially. Applicants who meet the criteria may apply in Lagos until the service is extended to Abuja. ”
“The ‘drop box’ system didn’t achieve its intended goals because it was fraught with “fraud, high overstay rates” whereas the consular unit aimed at strengthening “border security, productivity and customer service,” she said.