KAMPALA – The United States will discontinue routine visa processing at 25 diplomatic missions across Africa beginning August 1, 2026, in one of the most significant reorganizations of its consular operations on the continent in recent years.

Under the new arrangement, routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa services will be consolidated into 20 regional processing hubs, with U.S. authorities saying the move is intended to strengthen security screening, improve efficiency and streamline consular operations across Africa.

The overhaul means applicants in more than two dozen African countries will no longer be able to attend routine visa interviews at their local U.S. embassies or consulates. Instead, they will be required to travel to designated regional hubs for interviews and processing. Emergency and diplomatic services are expected to continue at the affected missions.

Among the diplomatic posts losing routine visa processing are Abuja (Nigeria), Harare (Zimbabwe), Lusaka (Zambia), Maputo (Mozambique), Juba (South Sudan), Bujumbura (Burundi), Libreville (Gabon), Lilongwe (Malawi), Windhoek (Namibia), and several others across the continent.

The new regional visa hubs include Kampala, alongside Nairobi, Kigali, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Accra, Dakar, Kinshasa, Abidjan, Yaoundé, Luanda and other major cities. This positions Uganda as one of the continent's key centres for U.S. visa processing under the revised system.

The restructuring comes amid broader changes to U.S. immigration and visa policies under the current administration, which has introduced stricter screening procedures and enhanced vetting measures for foreign travellers. Officials argue that concentrating visa operations in fewer locations will enable more consistent security checks while making better use of consular resources.

For many African travellers, however, the changes are expected to increase the cost and complexity of obtaining U.S. visas, as applicants may have to travel across borders for interviews, accommodation and related expenses before their applications can be processed.

The policy is expected to take effect on August 1, with applicants advised to verify where their visa applications will now be processed before scheduling appointments.