The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has announced a major restructuring of visa operations across Africa, shifting routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services from certain embassies and consulates to designated regional visa hubs beginning August 1, 2026.
According to the Department, the change is intended to standardize visa adjudications, strengthen screening and vetting procedures, and improve operational efficiency by concentrating visa processing resources at selected regional locations.
What Is Changing?
Starting August 1, 2026, routine visa services currently offered at a number of U.S. diplomatic posts in Africa will be transferred to designated regional processing hubs.
Affected locations include:
- Antananarivo (Madagascar)
- Abuja (Nigeria)
- Asmara (Eritrea)
- Bamako (Mali)
- Banjul (The Gambia)
- Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo)
- Bujumbura (Burundi)
- Conakry (Guinea)
- Cotonou (Benin)
- Durban (South Africa)
- Freetown (Sierra Leone)
- Gaborone (Botswana)
- Harare (Zimbabwe)
- Juba (South Sudan)
- Libreville (Gabon)
- Lilongwe (Malawi)
- Lusaka (Zambia)
- Maputo (Mozambique)
- Maseru (Lesotho)
- Mbabane (Eswatini)
- N’Djamena (Chad)
- Niamey (Niger)
- Nouakchott (Mauritania)
- Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
- Windhoek (Namibia)
Applicants seeking visa appointments on or after August 1, 2026, will generally need to schedule interviews and pay applicable fees through their assigned regional visa hub.
Regional Visa Hubs
Routine visa processing will be centralized at the following U.S. embassies and consulates:
- Abidjan
- Accra
- Addis Ababa
- Cape Town
- Dakar
- Dar es Salaam
- Djibouti
- Johannesburg
- Kampala
- Kigali
- Kinshasa
- Lagos
- Lomé
- Luanda
- Malabo
- Monrovia
- Nairobi
- Port Louis
- Praia
- Yaoundé
These locations will serve as primary processing centers for routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications from affected countries.
What Visa Categories Are Affected?
The realignment applies to most routine visa services, including:
Nonimmigrant Visas
- B-1/B-2 visitor visas
- F-1 student visas
- J-1 exchange visitor visas
- H, L, O, P, and other employment-based nonimmigrant visas
- Other routine NIV classifications
Immigrant Visas
- Immediate Relative (IR) visas
- Family Preference (FP) visas
- Employment-Based (EB) immigrant visas
- K fiancé(e) visas
- Adoption cases
- Diversity Visa (DV) cases
- Follow-to-join refugee and asylee cases (V92/V93)
FAQs
What Happens to Existing Appointments?
Applicants who already have appointments at posts affected by the realignment should monitor their email carefully.
The Department of State has indicated that affected applicants will receive country-specific instructions regarding appointment handling and next steps.
Are Embassies and Consulates Closing?
No.
The Department of State states that the change affects routine visa processing only. Embassies and consulates will continue operating and providing diplomatic functions, services to U.S. citizens, and other consular support.
Several posts will continue offering American Citizen Services (ACS) and limited consular services even after routine visa processing is transferred elsewhere.
Will Existing Visas Remain Valid?
Yes.
The Department has confirmed that the realignment does not affect currently valid visas. Individuals with valid visas may continue using them under existing rules and validity periods.
Medical Examinations for Immigrant Visa Applicants
Immigrant visa applicants may generally complete their required medical examinations either:
- In their home country, if an approved panel physician is available; or
- At their designated regional visa hub.
Applicants should follow embassy-specific instructions regarding medical examination requirements.
What’s Next
Individuals planning to apply for a U.S. visa from an affected African country should:
- Identify their designated immigrant or nonimmigrant visa processing hub.
- Review embassy-specific procedures before paying fees or scheduling appointments.
- Monitor email communications from the Department of State regarding any pending appointments.
- Allow additional time for travel planning if interviews must be conducted in another country.
Erickson Insights and Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.