The United States Department of State is planning a major overhaul of its visa processing operations in Africa, reducing the number of embassies and consulates handling visa applications from nearly 50 to 20 in the coming weeks.
According to an internal memo and three U.S. officials cited by The Associated Press on Monday, the restructuring is expected to take effect in June, although no specific date has been announced.
Under the plan, visa processing for both immigrant and non-immigrant categories will be centralised in 20 designated “hubs” across the continent.
The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration policy aimed at tightening visa issuance and reducing cases of visa overstays.
The news agency said U.S. diplomats, including consular chiefs, were reportedly briefed on the changes during a conference call last Friday.
The State Department, under a directive approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will scale down consular operations in all but the 20 designated centres, the memo stated.
While consular sections in non-hub countries will remain open, their functions will be limited to services such as assisting American citizens with passport renewals, emergency consular support, special national interest cases, and diplomatic visa processing.
The State Department said it “is constantly evaluating its overseas operations in order to deploy taxpayer resources in a way that advances America’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible.”
It added that this “includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests.”
FULL LIST: 20 U.S. visa processing hubs in Africa
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Accra, Ghana
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Cape Town, South Africa
Dakar, Senegal
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Djibouti, Djibouti
Johannesburg, South Africa
Kampala, Uganda
Kigali, Rwanda
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lagos, Nigeria
Lomé, Togo
Luanda, Angola
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
Monrovia, Liberia
Nairobi, Kenya
Port Louis, Mauritius
Praia, Cape Verde
Yaoundé, Cameroon
The changes are expected to force applicants from non-hub countries to travel to designated locations for visa processing, a development likely to increase travel costs and logistical challenges.
Visa services in Africa have already been affected in recent months by travel restrictions on certain countries, new visa bond requirements of up to $15,000 for some applicants, and disruptions linked to health-related measures, including Ebola-related restrictions.
The restructuring marks one of the most significant reductions in U.S. visa processing access across Africa in recent years.
