The Nigerian government has pledged to engage the United States over the recent suspension of the visa dropbox renewal process, a move that now mandates all visitor visa applicants to undergo in-person interviews.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Oluwole Oke, confirmed this development during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday. Speaking from New York, Oke stated that he would escalate the matter in Washington, engaging Nigeria’s chargé d’affaires to explore possible solutions.
The dropbox system previously allowed Nigerians with a recent US travel history to renew visas without interviews. However, reports emerged last weekend that the US had quietly halted the service, a decision linked to broader immigration policies from the Trump administration.
Oke, however, played down concerns, noting that Nigeria does not provide a similar dropbox renewal option for Americans. He emphasized the diplomatic principle of reciprocity, pointing out that visa policies often reflect mutual agreements between countries.
The lawmaker disclosed that he had already reached out to Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, who confirmed that Nigeria had yet to receive an official notification from the US government.
Drawing from past diplomatic engagements, Oke cited visa policy adjustments, such as Nigeria’s previous one-year visa issuance for Americans, which was later extended to five years under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to match US policies.
Despite the policy shift, Oke remained optimistic that the Trump administration would reassess its immigration policies, emphasizing Nigeria’s global importance.
“Nigeria is too strategic for any country to ignore. We are an asset the world is looking to tap into. I believe we will see benefits from President Donald Trump’s engagements going forward,” he said.
Trump, who resumed office on January 20, 2025, has intensified immigration crackdowns, with mass deportations of undocumented migrants already underway. The policy shift has triggered mixed reactions globally, with supporters backing stricter immigration controls while critics warn of potential diplomatic tensions.
The United States remains a prime destination for Nigerian migrants, with an estimated 376,000 Nigerians residing there as of 2015. The Nigerian diaspora is a key economic contributor, remitting over $20 billion annually to Nigeria, according to World Bank data from 2023.
