The United States government is set to significantly restructure its visa processing system across Africa, reducing the number of embassies and consulates handling visa applications from nearly 50 locations to just 20 designated centres.
According to an internal memo and information provided by three U.S. officials cited by The Associated Press on Monday, the new arrangement is expected to be rolled out in June, although authorities have yet to announce an exact implementation date.
The planned reform will centralise the processing of both immigrant and non-immigrant visa applications in 20 selected locations spread across the continent. The initiative forms part of the broader immigration agenda of the administration of President Donald Trump, which seeks stricter control over visa issuance and efforts to curb visa overstays.
Reports indicate that U.S. diplomats, including consular chiefs stationed across Africa, were informed of the upcoming changes during a conference call held last Friday.
Under the proposal, approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, consular services in countries that are not selected as processing hubs will be scaled back considerably. While embassies and consulates in those locations will remain operational, they will no longer provide full visa processing services.
Instead, their activities will be limited to assisting U.S. citizens with passport renewals, handling emergency consular matters, processing diplomatic visas, and managing cases considered to be of special national interest.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, 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.”
The department further stated 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.”
Designated U.S. Visa Processing Hubs in Africa
The 20 locations selected to serve as visa processing centres are:
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Accra, Ghana
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Cape Town, South Africa
Dakar, Senegal
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Djibouti
Johannesburg, South Africa
Kampala, Uganda