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The United States Mission to Nigeria has announced the indefinite suspension of interview waivers for visa renewals. The suspension takes effect from today. The interview wavers system, also known as Dropbox, allows people seeking renewal of U.S. visa to submit their applications through DHL courier service, thereby eliminating the need to appear in person at the embassies.

The Mission, in a statement released on Tuesday, said it will no longer accept visa applications by DHL in Nigeria. Therefore, all applicants in Nigeria seeking a non-immigrant visa to the United States must apply online and appear in-person at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos to submit their applications for review.

“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,” according to the U.S. Mission to Nigeria.

The statement suggests a tougher stance on the process of granting U.S. visas to Nigerians. According to data provided by U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, Nigeria alone accounted for 132,137 (or over 25 percent) of non-immigrant visas issued to Africans in 2018. Nigeria also came third, behind Brazil and Venezuela, for countries with a record of visa overstays in 2018.  

The U.S. Mission, however, noted that 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 affected by the change. Processing of diplomatic and official visa applications, including A, G, and NATO class visa, is also not affected by the suspension.