Visa applicants across more than two dozen African countries will soon face a major change in how they apply to enter the United States after Washington confirmed it will end routine visa processing at 25 diplomatic posts across the continent from 1 August, consolidating those services into 20 regional hubs.
The move, announced by the U.S. Department of State, marks one of the most significant overhauls of America’s consular network in Africa in years. It follows months of speculation over Washington’s plans. Reports in June, citing an internal State Department memo reportedly approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, suggested the number of embassies and consulates handling visa applications would be cut from nearly 50 to 20. Those reports warned that many applicants would eventually have to travel to another country for visa interviews. The department’s announcement has now confirmed that plan.
Routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa services will end at U.S. missions in Antananarivo (Madagascar), Abuja (Nigeria), Asmara (Eritrea), Bamako (Mali), Banjul (The Gambia), Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo), Bujumbura (Burundi), Conakry (Guinea), Cotonou (Benin) and Durban (South Africa). The list also includes Freetown (Sierra Leone), Gaborone (Botswana), Harare (Zimbabwe), Juba (South Sudan), Libreville (Gabon), Lilongwe (Malawi), Lusaka (Zambia), Maputo (Mozambique), Maseru (Lesotho), Mbabane (Eswatini), N’Djamena (Chad), Niamey (Niger), Nouakchott (Mauritania), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Windhoek (Namibia).
Applicants from those countries will instead book appointments at one of 20 regional centres in Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lomé, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia and Yaoundé.
The impact is already raising concerns. In South Africa, for example, applicants in KwaZulu-Natal will no longer be able to attend routine visa appointments in Durban and will instead have to travel to Cape Town or Johannesburg. Immigration advisers say that could increase demand at both centres and extend waiting times as they absorb additional applications.
The State Department stressed that the affected embassies and consulates are not closing. They will continue providing diplomatic services and assistance to U.S. citizens. Only routine visa interviews and application processing are being transferred to the regional hubs.
The change applies to all routine visa categories, including tourist, business, work and family-based immigrant visas. Anyone booking a new appointment from 1 August will be directed to the hub assigned to their country rather than their local U.S. mission.
The reorganisation does not alter other immigration measures already introduced by the Trump administration, including visa suspensions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, mandatory visa bonds for certain applicants and pauses affecting some immigrant visa categories.
U.S. officials say the changes are intended to improve security and efficiency, not reduce America’s diplomatic presence in Africa. The State Department said the consolidation is part of a broader effort to standardise visa screening, vetting and adjudication, adding that similar regional models are already in place in other parts of the world, including Europe.
In its announcement, the department linked the policy directly to the administration’s broader agenda, saying: “President Trump is putting America and Americans first by strengthening national security, cutting government waste, and ensuring government works in the interests of the American people.”
For applicants, the biggest challenge will be the added cost and planning involved in travelling to another country for a visa interview. Immigration lawyers are urging people to check which regional hub now serves their country and allow extra time for appointments, warning that demand is likely to surge as the remaining centres take on applications from the 25 affected posts.
The new system leaves a much smaller network of regional hubs as the main gateway for most African tourists, students, workers and family-based immigrants seeking to travel to the United States.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah