The United States government is set to significantly scale back its visa processing operations across Africa, reducing the number of full-service consular locations on the continent to just 20 designated hubs in a move that could force thousands of applicants to travel abroad for visa appointments.
Key Highlights:
- The U.S. plans to reduce full visa-processing centers in Africa to 20 hubs, excluding Abuja.
- Lagos would become Nigeria’s only full-service U.S. visa processing location.
- Applicants may face higher travel costs and longer wait times for visa appointments.
- The change is part of a broader review of U.S. diplomatic and immigration operations under Donald Trump‘s administration.
- Basic consular services will still be available at non-hub embassies and consulates.
The decision, reportedly approved by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is part of a broader review of America’s diplomatic footprint and immigration procedures under the administration of Donald Trump.
According to reports citing senior U.S. officials and an internal State Department memorandum, the new arrangement will retain full visa processing capabilities in 20 African cities: Lagos, Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia and Yaoundé.
One of the biggest surprises in the new list is the exclusion of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital and home to the U.S. Embassy.
If implemented, Lagos would become the only Nigerian city authorized to handle full visa processing services.
The move is expected to create additional challenges for visa applicants from countries that no longer have designated processing centres.
Many applicants could be required to travel to neighbouring countries to complete visa interviews and documentation, adding transportation, accommodation and other costs to an already demanding process.
Despite the changes, the United States will continue to provide essential consular services in countries outside the designated hubs.
These services include assistance for American citizens, passport renewals, emergency support, diplomatic visas and select cases deemed to be in the U.S. national interest.
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U.S. officials said the restructuring is intended to align diplomatic resources with American strategic priorities while maintaining strict security and screening standards for visa applicants.
The planned changes come amid wider efforts by the Trump administration to tighten immigration procedures and reassess the deployment of diplomatic personnel worldwide.
Reports indicate that U.S. embassies and consulates have also been briefed on possible staffing reductions as part of a broader overhaul of America’s global diplomatic operations.
For Nigeria, the exclusion of Abuja could place greater pressure on visa operations in Lagos, which already handles a large volume of applications from Nigerians seeking to travel, study, work or reunite with family members in the United States.
