What is the Dropbox application program?
‘Dropbox’, the Interview Waiver Program (IWP) was introduced in Nigeria, which allows certain Nigerian U.S. visa applicants who are applying to renew a visa in the same class of a visa previously issued by a Consulate/Embassy in Lagos or Abuja, to be considered for a waiver of the visa interview requirement.
Suspension of the Dropbox system
On the 14th of May 2019, the U.S Embassy announced a stricter visa application process for Nigerians but, diplomatic and government officials will still maintain their visa application process. It was stated, that no visa application will be accepted through DHL anymore and all applicants must appear at the consulate either in Abuja or Lagos to submit all applications for visa renewal and a face to face interview.
The suspension of the Drop box waiver may not be disconnected from the issue raised by President Donald Trump’s directive to homeland security to sanction countries that have overstay rate higher than 10% in the United States. The suspension is not based on the number of individuals who overstay their welcome from each country. The reason for the suspension was not expressly stated by the mission.
Based on The Washington Post, Just Syria and Nigeria posted a significant number of visa overstayers while also having a rate that put the African nation into Trump’s target category.
Image source: The Washington Post
Image source: The Washington Post
However,
The U.S Mission To Nigeria issued this statement:
Effective at the close of business today, Tuesday, May 14, 2019, the U.S. 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 U.S. 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 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.
Processing of diplomatic and official (A, G, and NATO class) visa applications will continue unchanged.
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 travelers to the best of its ability.
All applicants are therefore required to schedule regular appointments until further notice.
