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FG to Engage US Over Suspension of Visa Drop Box Service

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Oluwole Oke, disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“I will take up this matter. After my meetings in New York, I will be in Washington to discuss this with our chargé d’affaires and explore possible resolutions,” Oke stated.

The visa drop box service previously allowed certain applicants, particularly those with recent US travel history, to renew their visas without attending in-person interviews. However, reports surfaced over the weekend indicating that the service had been discontinued in Nigeria, requiring all applicants to appear physically for interviews.

Oke, however, downplayed the development, noting that Nigeria does not extend a similar privilege to Americans renewing their Nigerian visas.

“It is the prerogative of the US to withdraw the drop box service. In diplomatic relations, there is the principle of reciprocity. Until President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office, the US was issuing Nigerians two-year visas, while we gave them only one-year visas. It was under President Tinubu’s directive that the Minister of Interior ensured we matched their five-year visa policy,” he explained.

The lawmaker confirmed he had reached out to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who stated that Nigeria had not received any official communication from the US regarding the policy change.

Meanwhile, the decision comes amid a renewed crackdown on migrants under President Donald Trump’s second-term administration. Trump, who resumed office on January 20, 2025, has launched mass deportation campaigns targeting undocumented immigrants. Raids have already taken place in homes, schools, workplaces, and shopping centers, with deportations recorded to countries such as India and Guatemala.

The policy shift has sparked mixed reactions globally, with some supporting the move while others criticize its impact.

Nigeria has a significant presence in the US, with official figures showing that as of 2015, approximately 376,000 Nigerians lived in the country, making Nigeria the largest source of African immigration to the US. Nigerian immigrants contribute substantially to diaspora remittances, which exceeded $20 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank.

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