U.S. Will Reduce the Number of African Embassies That Can Process Visas

The United States plans to reduce the number of embassies and consulates in Africa that are authorized to process visa applications, according to an internal State Department memo and statements from three U.S. officials familiar with the proposal.

The change will cut the number of U.S. diplomatic missions handling visa applications from nearly fifty to just twenty in the coming weeks. While an official implementation date has not been announced, the adjustments are expected to take effect in June.

This decision is part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s broader strategy to tighten immigration controls, lower the issuance of both immigrant and non‑immigrant visas, and address concerns about visitors who remain in the United States after their visas expire. The administration has also reduced staffing levels at diplomatic missions worldwide.

One official, who joined a conference call last Friday, said that U.S. diplomats and consular chiefs were informed that visa services across Africa would be scaled back significantly.

The changes were authorized by a directive signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week. Under the new arrangement, full consular visa operations will be maintained only in twenty designated regional hubs across the continent.

The move comes as visa processing in Africa has already faced disruptions due to travel restrictions on certain countries, new financial bond requirements for some applicants, and limitations linked to recent Ebola‑related measures.

Under the new system, citizens from countries that do not host one of the designated hubs will be required to travel to another country to submit visa applications and attend interviews. The change is expected to increase travel costs and create logistical challenges for many applicants.

Although consular sections in non‑hub countries will remain operational, their services will be limited. They will continue to assist U.S. citizens with passport renewals, emergency consular matters, diplomatic visas, and select cases deemed to be in the U.S. national interest.

Responding to questions about the policy, the State Department did not directly address details contained in the memo but 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.”

The department 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.”

According to the memo, the twenty African locations that will continue offering full visa processing services are located in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Accra (Ghana), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Cape Town and Johannesburg (South Africa), Dakar (Senegal), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Djibouti, Kampala (Uganda), Kigali (Rwanda), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Lagos (Nigeria), Lomé (Togo), Luanda (Angola), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Monrovia (Liberia), Nairobi (Kenya), Port Louis (Mauritius), Praia (Cape Verde) and Yaoundé (Cameroon).

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