From Dispatch Room
The United States is preparing to sharply reduce the number of diplomatic missions in Africa that can process visa applications, a move expected to affect thousands of travellers seeking entry into the country.
According to a report by the Associated Press, the number of U.S. embassies and consulates on the continent handling visa applications will be reduced from nearly 50 to 20 designated regional hubs in the coming weeks.
The planned change is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which includes tighter visa vetting procedures and a restructuring of U.S. diplomatic operations overseas.
The report said the transition is expected to begin in June, although no specific implementation date has been announced.
U.S. diplomats and consular officials were reportedly informed during a recent conference call that visa services across Africa would be consolidated into fewer locations.
The directive was reportedly approved by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Under the new arrangement, applicants in countries that lose visa-processing authority may have to travel across borders to designated regional hubs, increasing costs, travel time and logistical difficulties for students, tourists, business travellers and immigrants.
Embassies and consulates in non-hub countries are expected to remain open but with limited services. They will continue to assist American citizens, handle passport services, provide emergency consular support and process diplomatic visas or cases considered to be in the U.S. national interest.
The State Department did not directly comment on the internal memo cited in the report but said it regularly reviews overseas operations to ensure efficient use of taxpayer resources while maintaining strong security standards.
The move follows other recent restrictions affecting African visa applicants, including travel bans on certain countries, financial bond requirements for some applicants and disruptions linked to the Ebola outbreak.
The 20 African cities expected to retain full U.S. visa-processing services are 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 overhaul is expected to reshape access to U.S. visa services across Africa, especially for applicants in countries where local processing will no longer be available.
— Newspot Nigeria
