US visa processing in Africa to be cut to 20 embassies and consulates, officials say

The US State Department plans to reduce the number of embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visa applications from nearly 50 to 20, according to US officials and an internal memo. The change is expected in June and aligns with Trump administration efforts to tighten immigrant and non-immigrant visas and curb overstays.

The US State Department planned to sharply reduce visa processing locations in Africa. Nearly 50 US embassies and consulates in Africa currently handled visa requests. Officials said only 20 sites would keep full visa services in coming weeks. The Associated Press reviewed an internal memo and spoke to three US officials.

The officials said the shift had no fixed start date yet. The change was expected in June, the officials said. The officials were not authorised to speak publicly. The officials shared details on condition of anonymity. The plan followed a directive approved last week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

US visa processing in Africa cut to 20 hubs

The memo and officials said consular operations would shrink in all but 20 hubs. The new approach meant applicants from non-hub countries must travel to a hub. Officials said this could create major cost and travel barriers. The plan targeted both immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing across the continent.

According to the memo, the 20 hubs to remain open for all processing are: 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; and Yaounde, Cameroon.

US visa processing in Africa tied to Trump administration immigration limits

Officials said the move was part of the Trump administration’s push to tighten visa issuance. The officials linked it to a wider aim to limit immigration to the US. The officials also cited concerns about travellers on temporary visas who later overstay. The administration also reduced staffing at embassies and consulates worldwide.

On a conference call last Friday, US diplomats received guidance about the changes. One official who joined the call said consular chiefs were included. The official said diplomats were told visa services would be scaled back across Africa. The memo said non-hub posts would stay open but offer fewer services.

US visa processing in Africa already affected by travel bans and health limits

Visa processing in Africa was already disrupted by several measures, officials said. They pointed to a travel ban on certain countries. They also cited a requirement for some applicants to post up to USD 15,000 bond. More recently, officials said Ebola-related limits also restricted visa services in parts of Africa.

Non-hub consular sections would still handle selected tasks, the memo said. Posts would support American citizens with passport renewals and emergency consular needs. They would also handle special national interest cases. Diplomatic visa applications would remain available at these posts under the new rules.

With inputs from PTI