U.S. Visa Changes: Impact on African Embassy Processing

3 weeks ago 0

The U.S. State Department plans to close nearly 30 embassies and consulates in Africa responsible for processing visas, according to an Associated Press memo viewed on Monday. This action marks a continuation of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce immigration pathways to the U.S., previously including travel bans concerning many African and Asian nations.

Diplomats were informed that visa services will be limited to 20 hubs across Africa. A State Department official did not directly confirm this with Newsweek, noting ongoing evaluations of overseas operations, including a visa process ensuring stringent security screening.

Visa Processing Hub Locations

The document indicates the following 20 hubs will continue visa processing:

Abidjan, Ivory Coast
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, Congo
Lagos, Nigeria
Lome, Togo
Luanda, Angola
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
Monrovia, Liberia
Nairobi, Kenya
Port Louis, Mauritius
Praia, Cape Verde
Yaounde, Cameroon

Newsweek, referencing Department of State data on the diplomatic footprint in Africa, notes consular visa processing will be removed from the sites marked orange on the map below, which also indicates the nearest hub for each affected nation.

Though no fixed date for the implementation is provided, approval from Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicates changes may occur within the month. Under the new guidelines, visa applicants from countries losing processing capabilities must visit a nearby hub embassy or consulate to complete the application process. Despite the closures, sites without visa processing will continue offering emergency services to American citizens and diplomatic visa services.