US visa processing in Africa to shrink from nearly 50 posts to 20, officials say

The US State Department planned to cut the number of visa-processing posts in Africa. Nearly 50 US embassies and consulates were handling visa applications. That figure was set to drop to 20 within weeks. Three US officials and an internal memo seen by The Associated Press described the plan.

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No fixed start date was listed for the change. The officials expected the shift in June. The officials were not authorised to speak publicly. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. The step followed broader reductions in embassy and consulate staffing worldwide.

US embassies and consulates in Africa set for visa processing cut

The move formed part of the Trump administration’s effort to tighten immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuance. The policy also aimed to address people who entered on temporary visas. It focused on those who then overstayed. On a conference call last Friday, US diplomats heard visa services would shrink across Africa.

A directive approved last week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio guided the change. Under that directive, consular operations were to be reduced in all but 20 African hubs. The officials and the internal memo outlined this structure. The plan left many posts open, but with narrower duties.

US embassies and consulates in Africa: travel impact for visa applicants

Visa processing in Africa had already faced several limits. These included a travel ban on certain countries. They also included a requirement for applicants to post up to USD 15,000 bond. Restrictions linked to the Ebola outbreak also affected services. The new setup meant non-hub citizens would travel for interviews.

Applicants from non-hub countries would need to reach one of the 20 sites. This could create major costs and hard travel routes. Even so, consular sections in non-hub countries were expected to keep operating. The difference was the range of services these offices could provide.

US embassies and consulates in Africa: services that remain in non-hub posts

Non-hub consular sections would still help American citizens. They would handle passport renewals and emergency consular requests. They would also manage special national interest cases. Diplomatic visa applications would continue at these posts. Full visa processing, however, would concentrate in the selected hubs.

According to the memo, full processing would remain in 20 locations. These were Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cape Town, South Africa; and Dakar, Senegal. The list also included Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania; Djibouti, Djibouti; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Kampala, Uganda.

The memo also named Kigali, Rwanda; Kinshasa, Congo; Lagos, Nigeria; and Lome, Togo. It added Luanda, Angola; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; and Monrovia, Liberia. Nairobi, Kenya; Port Louis, Mauritius; Praia, Cape Verde; and Yaounde, Cameroon completed the list.

The State Department’s plan would leave 20 hubs handling most visa work in Africa. Other posts would stay open but would focus on limited consular support. Officials said the timing was expected in June, though not final. The change matched a wider effort to restrict visas and reduce staffing.

With inputs from PTI