US to Reduce Embassies, Consulates Handling Visa Processing Across Africa

The United States government is planning a major restructuring of its visa processing system in Africa that will significantly reduce the number of embassies and consulates handling visa applications from over 50 to about 20 designated “hub” locations.

The policy, reportedly directed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will see visa processing suspended at dozens of American diplomatic missions across the continent, including changes that will affect Nigeria and other African countries. The move is expected to be implemented in the coming weeks, although an exact start date has not been officially announced.

Under the new arrangement, applicants for US visas in countries without designated hubs will be required to travel to approved regional centres for processing. The US State Department says the reform is aimed at aligning consular operations with national security priorities while improving efficiency and resource allocation.

For Nigeria, the policy is expected to shift most visa processing services away from Abuja, with Lagos designated as the primary hub for US visa applications in the country. This means applicants who previously accessed services in multiple locations may now be limited to fewer processing points.

According to reports from the Associated Press, US envoys across Africa have already been instructed to begin scaling down visa operations outside the approved hubs. The selected 20 centres include cities such as Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Dakar, Kigali, and Kinshasa, among others.

Other designated hubs listed include Abidjan, Kampala, Lome, Luanda, Monrovia, Port Louis, Praia, Yaounde, Djibouti, Malabo, and Cape Town, which will serve as centralised processing points for visa applications across surrounding regions.

The policy also means that consular sections in non-hub countries will continue to operate but with restricted functions. These will largely be limited to emergency services for US citizens, passport renewals, and specific diplomatic visa categories.

The move is part of a broader tightening of US immigration and travel policies, which has included increased visa scrutiny, bond requirements for certain applicants, and changes to residency and immigration procedures affecting several nationalities, including Africans.

Critics say the decision will increase travel costs and delays for applicants, particularly those from countries without nearby hub locations, while supporters argue it will improve security screening and streamline consular workloads.

The policy is expected to reshape how visa services are accessed across Africa, centralising operations in fewer locations and potentially creating logistical challenges for thousands of applicants annually.