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The United States Embassy in Nigeria has announced stiffer and stricter visa application processes for Nigerians sayng it is in order to provide more efficient customer service and promote legitimate travel.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the embassy said that henceforth, all applicants including frequent travellers who used to use the drop box method would now have to appear for interviews each time they applied.
It, however, said diplomatic and government officials could continue to enjoy the status quo.
The statement read, “Effective at the close of business today, Tuesday, May 14, 2019, the US Mission to Nigeria is indefinitely suspending interview waivers for renewals, otherwise known as the ‘Dropbox’ process.
“Visa applications will no longer be accepted by DHL in Nigeria. Those who have already submitted their passports via Dropbox to DHL for processing either at the US Embassy in Abuja or the Consulate General in Lagos, will not be impacted by this change.
“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 US Embassy in Abuja or US Consulate General in Lagos to submit their application for review. Applicants must appear at the location they specified when applying for the visa renewal.
“Processing of diplomatic and official (A, G, and NATO class) visa applications will continue unchanged.”
It said the Mission’s Nigeria’s processing procedures are regularly reviewed in order to “assess our ability to quickly, efficiently, and securely process visa applications”.