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Thousands of Africans seeking visas to study, work, visit, or relocate to the United States may soon face additional travel and expenses following a proposed restructuring of US visa processing services across the continent.
According to reports citing US officials and an internal State Department memo, Washington plans to reduce the number of embassies and consulates in Africa handling routine visa applications from nearly 50 to just 20.
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The changes, expected to begin this month, form part of a broader immigration policy push by the administration of Donald Trump aimed at strengthening immigration controls, reducing visa overstays, and enhancing security screening procedures.
The proposal, reportedly approved by Marco Rubio, seeks to centralise visa services at selected regional hubs while allowing US diplomatic missions to focus resources more efficiently.
If implemented, applicants from countries that lose routine visa-processing services may be required to travel to neighbouring nations to complete interviews and other application requirements, potentially increasing costs related to transport, accommodation, and logistics.
Embassies and consulates that are not selected as processing centres will remain operational but will primarily handle services for American citizens, diplomatic visas, emergency assistance, and limited special cases.
Kenya is expected to play a central role under the new arrangement. The US Embassy in Nairobi has been identified as one of the 20 regional visa-processing hubs, alongside centres in Accra, Lagos, Johannesburg, Kampala and Kigali.
The move is expected to increase demand for visa appointments in Nairobi, particularly from applicants in neighbouring countries whose local missions may no longer process routine visa requests.
The proposal follows a series of immigration measures introduced by the Trump administration, including stricter visa vetting procedures, travel restrictions, and efforts to curb illegal immigration and visa overstays.
Although US authorities have indicated that the changes could take effect in June, an official implementation date has yet to be announced.
For many African travellers, the new policy could mean an extra cross-border trip before they even begin their journey to the United States.
