Uganda’s capital, Kampala, has been retained as one of only 20 U.S. visa processing hubs across Africa following a major restructuring of American consular operations on the continent aimed at centralizing visa services and tightening immigration controls.

According to an internal U.S. State Department directive obtained by the Associated Press, the number of American embassies and consulates in Africa authorized to process full visa applications will be reduced from nearly 50 to just 20. The changes are expected to take effect this month as part of the administration's broader immigration and security policy reforms.

Under the new arrangement, U.S. embassies in non-hub countries will remain operational but will largely be limited to providing services to American citizens, handling emergency consular matters, and processing diplomatic or special-interest visas. Applicants seeking immigrant and non-immigrant visas from affected countries may now have to travel to designated regional hubs for interviews and processing.

Kampala joins a select group of African cities chosen to continue offering comprehensive visa services. Other designated hubs include Nairobi, Kigali, Accra, Lagos, Johannesburg and Addis Ababa.

The State Department said the move is intended to deploy resources more efficiently while maintaining rigorous security screening and vetting standards for visa applicants. Officials also cited efforts to curb visa overstays and improve operational effectiveness across diplomatic missions.

The restructuring comes amid a series of recent U.S. immigration policy changes, including expanded travel restrictions affecting certain countries, stricter visa screening measures, and new financial bond requirements for applicants from selected nations.

For Uganda, Kampala's retention as a visa processing hub reinforces the city's growing importance as a regional diplomatic and administrative center, potentially attracting applicants from neighboring countries where full visa services may no longer be available.

Full List of U.S. Visa Processing Hubs in Africa

Under the new consular restructuring, the following 20 U.S. embassies will continue to offer comprehensive visa processing services across Africa:

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

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, Cape Verde

Yaoundé, Cameroon

The designation places Kampala among a select group of strategic diplomatic centers entrusted with handling visa applications for millions of travelers across the continent.