Thousands of Africans seeking visas to the United States may soon encounter higher expenses and more complicated travel arrangements following a new policy that will significantly reduce the number of U.S. diplomatic missions handling visa applications across the continent.
Under the proposed restructuring, nearly 50 U.S. embassies and consulates currently processing visa applications in Africa will be consolidated into just 20 regional visa-processing hubs. The measure forms part of broader immigration reforms introduced by the administration of Donald Trump aimed at tightening immigration controls and increasing oversight of visa issuance.
As a result, applicants in countries without designated visa-processing centres may be required to travel to neighbouring African nations for visa interviews and application submissions. This could lead to additional costs related to transportation, accommodation, and other travel expenses.
Experts warn that the reduction in processing centres may also result in longer waiting times, as fewer locations will be responsible for handling visa applications from a larger number of countries. Students, tourists, business travellers, workers, and families hoping to visit or relocate to the United States are expected to be among those most affected.
While visa services may be reduced in several countries, affected U.S. embassies and consulates will continue providing services to American citizens, including passport renewals, emergency assistance, and other consular support. Diplomatic visas and applications deemed important to U.S. national interests will also continue to receive priority attention.
Lagos Among 20 Designated Visa Hubs
According to reports, the 20 locations expected to retain full visa-processing capabilities include 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 inclusion of Lagos means Nigeria will remain one of the countries where comprehensive U.S. visa services will continue under the new arrangement. However, applicants from countries not included in the list may need to travel abroad to complete their visa processes.
The policy is the latest in a series of immigration measures introduced by the Trump administration, including stricter visa requirements and increased scrutiny of applicants from certain countries. Analysts believe the changes could reshape the visa application process for Africans and place greater pressure on the remaining processing centres across the continent.