WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department is planning a major reduction in the number of American embassies and consulates in Africa authorized to process visas for foreign travelers.
According to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and accounts from three anonymous U.S. officials, the number of visa-processing locations will drop from nearly 50 down to just 20. While an exact launch date has not been finalized, officials state the transition is expected to take place this month (June).
Policy Goals and Broader Context
The restructuring aligns with the Trump administration’s broader initiative to restrict both immigrant and non-immigrant entry into the United States. The policy specifically targets individuals who enter on temporary visas and overstay their permitted time. This move follows previous global personnel rollbacks at U.S. diplomatic missions.
U.S. diplomats and consular chiefs were officially notified of the impending service reductions across Africa during a conference call last Friday. The downscaling follows a directive signed last week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, designating 20 specific “hubs” to handle all remaining operations.
Visa services on the continent have already faced prior disruptions due to country-specific travel bans, a requirement for certain applicants to post bonds of up to $15,000, and recent operational constraints tied to the Ebola outbreak.
Impact on Applicants and Remaining Services
The change means that citizens living in a country without a designated hub will face significant travel burdens and added expenses, as they must journey to an approved site to complete their visa processing.
Consular offices in non-hub countries will remain open but will offer heavily restricted services. These offices will continue to provide:
- Assistance to U.S. citizens (including emergency requests and passport renewals)
- Processing for diplomatic visas
- Handling of special national interest cases
When asked about the leaked memo, the State Department declined to comment on the specific details. Instead, the department issued a statement noting that 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 statement added that this approach ensures a visa process that upholds strict security screening standards while aligning operational capacity with U.S. national interests.
The 20 Designated Visa Hubs
According to the internal document, the 20 locations that will maintain full visa-processing capabilities 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
- Yaounde, Cameroon