The State Department is preparing to sharply reduce the number of U.S. diplomatic posts in Africa authorized to process visa applications, consolidating full consular operations into 20 regional hubs across the continent as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to tighten control over immigration.
The changes are expected to take effect in June, according to three U.S. officials and an internal State Department memo. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the policy publicly.
Currently, nearly 50 U.S. embassies and consulates across Africa process visas for travelers, students, workers, and immigrants seeking entry into the United States. Under the new policy, only 20 designated locations will retain full visa-processing authority.
A broader immigration strategy
The restructuring marks the latest step in President Donald Trump’s second-term immigration agenda. Since returning to office in January 2025, the administration has focused on reducing both illegal and legal immigration through a combination of border enforcement, deportations, visa restrictions, and administrative changes.
The decline in illegal border crossings has been dramatic. In March 2025, Border Patrol agents recorded 7,181 migrant apprehensions between ports of entry along the southwest border, down 95% from the 137,473 recorded during the same month a year earlier.
The administration says those trends continued into 2026. By May, the Department of Homeland Security reported that Border Patrol had completed a full year without releasing migrants encountered at the southern border into the United States.
Immigration levels overall have also fallen significantly, although analysts disagree on the scale of the decline. Researchers at the Brookings Institution estimated that net migration turned negative in 2025, meaning more people left the United States than entered it. Their analysis suggested net migration ranged from negative 295,000 to negative 10,000 during the year, which would be the first period of negative net migration in at least 50 years.
The Congressional Budget Office reached a different conclusion, estimating net immigration remained positive at roughly 410,000 in 2025. Still, both analyses point to a sharp reduction in migration compared with previous years.
The White House has argued that lower immigration levels help American workers by reducing labor competition and strengthening wages. Administration officials said native-born employment increased by more than 2.4 million during the early months of Trump’s second term, though some economists have questioned the methodology behind those figures.
Visa processing concentrated in 20 hubs
The new Africa policy extends the administration’s immigration efforts beyond the U.S. border and into the visa system itself.
According to officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved the directive last week. U.S. diplomats, including consular section chiefs, were briefed on the plan during a conference call Friday.
Applicants in countries that do not host one of the designated visa-processing hubs will now be required to travel to another country to complete their visa applications and interviews.
Officials acknowledged the change could create significant financial and logistical challenges, particularly for applicants who must cross international borders, obtain travel documents and pay for transportation and lodging before even attending a visa interview.
Visa processing in Africa has already become more difficult in recent years. Some countries have faced travel restrictions, while certain applicants have been required to post bonds of up to $15,000. The system has also experienced disruptions linked to public health emergencies, including the Ebola outbreak.
Limited services will remain
Although visa operations will be centralized, consular sections at non-hub embassies and consulates will remain open.
Those offices will continue providing services for American citizens, including passport renewals, emergency assistance and other routine consular support. They will also process diplomatic visas and handle select cases deemed to be in the national interest.
What they will no longer do, in most cases, is conduct full visa processing for the general public.
The 20 designated visa hubs
Under the new policy, full visa-processing operations will be concentrated in the following locations:
- 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, Congo
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Lomé, Togo
- Luanda, Angola
- Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
- Monrovia, Liberia
- Nairobi, Kenya
- Port Louis, Mauritius
- Praia, Cape Verde
- Yaoundé, Cameroon
Potential impact
The consolidation is expected to reduce staffing demands and centralize visa adjudication across Africa. Supporters of the move may view it as a way to improve oversight and strengthen screening procedures. Critics, however, are likely to argue that it places new burdens on travelers, students and families seeking legal entry into the United States.
For many applicants, obtaining a U.S. visa may soon require not only completing the application process but also traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles to reach one of the newly designated regional hubs. As the administration continues to reshape the immigration system, the practical effects of that change will be felt far beyond America’s borders.
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