The US government plans to significantly cut down the number of American embassies and consulates in Africa that handle visa applications. The number will drop from over 50 to just 20.
This means that many US diplomatic missions in Africa will stop processing visas. Applicants will now have to go to fewer embassies and consulates to get their visas.
The Associated Press says that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed the State Department to reduce consular operations to only 20 main locations in Africa soon.
Nigeria will also feel the impact of this change. The US will stop visa processing in Abuja and limit services to the Lagos consulate only.
The State Department explained that this decision is to focus more resources on US policy priorities, according to AP. This includes a visa process that keeps strict security checks and aligns operations with America’s national interests.
There is no exact date for when this change will happen, but it is expected to start this month. US officials in Africa were told last week to start cutting back visa services. This new policy will mean that travellers from countries without a hub will need to go to one of the 20 approved locations to apply for US visas.
The 20 hubs that will remain open include: Lagos in Nigeria; Abidjan in Ivory Coast; Accra in Ghana; Addis Ababa in Ethiopia; Cape Town in South Africa; Dakar in Senegal; Dar es Salaam in Tanzania; Djibouti in Djibouti; Johannesburg in South Africa; Kampala in Uganda; and Kigali in Rwanda.
The list also has: Kinshasa in Congo; Lome in Togo; Luanda in Angola; Malabo in Equatorial Guinea; Monrovia in Liberia; Nairobi in Kenya; Port Louis in Mauritius; Praia in Cape Verde; and Yaounde in Cameroon.
This change is part of US President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to tighten immigration rules. This follows his earlier ban on several visa categories for many African countries, including Nigeria, and the halt of green card applications by temporary visa holders in the US. PREMIUM TIMES reported a new rule that says Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the US who want to change from temporary to permanent residency must return home to apply for a Green Card.
The US has also added bond requirements for African countries. Now, applicants may need to post a bond of up to $15,000 before they can apply for a visa.
This new US policy makes it even harder for Africans to travel or immigrate. Consular offices in countries without a hub will still be open but will only provide limited services. These include passport renewals for US citizens, special cases of national interest, and diplomatic visa applications.
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