State Department to Centralize U.S. Visa Processing in Africa

• The U.S. Department of State will shift routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing from 25 African posts to designated regional hubs beginning August 1, 2026.  

Centralize U.S. Visa Processing in Africa 

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced a major realignment of visa operations in Africa, transferring routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing from certain embassies and consulates to designated regional visa hubs. DOS says the change aims to promote more uniform screening, vetting and adjudication standards while improving operational efficiency.  

The new structure will take effect on August 1, 2026.  

What Is Changing? 

Beginning August 1, 2026, routine visa services will no longer be available at 25 affected posts across Africa. Instead, applicants will need to schedule appointments and pay applicable fees through designated regional visa processing hubs.  

Affected locations include: 

• Abuja, Nigeria 
• Antananarivo, Madagascar 
• Bamako, Mali 
• Conakry, Guinea 
• Harare, Zimbabwe 
• Lusaka, Zambia 
• Maputo, Mozambique 
• Windhoek, Namibia 

and other designated posts across the continent.  

Regional Visa Hubs 

DOS designated the following locations as regional visa processing hubs: 

• Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
• 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, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Lagos, Nigeria
• Lomé, Togo
• Luanda, Angola
• Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
• Monrovia, Liberia
• Nairobi, Kenya
• Port Louis, Mauritius
• Praia, Cabo Verde
• Yaoundé, Cameroon

Impact on Visa Applicants 

The realignment affects routine processing for both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, including: 

• Tourist and business visitor visas 
• Employment-based nonimmigrant visas 
• Employment-based immigrant visas (EB) 
• Family-based immigrant visas 
• Fiancé(e) visas (K) 
• Diversity Visa cases 
• Certain follow-to-join refugee and asylee cases  

DOS stated that applicants with appointments at affected posts should monitor their email for country-specific guidance regarding next steps.  

What Is Not Changing? 

According to the Department of State: 

• The realignment does not close any embassies or consulates.  
• American Citizen Services will continue at affected posts, although some locations will provide only limited visa services.  
• Existing valid U.S. visas remain unaffected.  

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