The U.S. Department of State has confirmed that, effective 1 August 2026, routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing at 25 African embassies and consulates—including Antananarivo, Abuja, Bamako and Windhoek—will be consolidated into 20 regional “hub” missions such as Nairobi, Accra and Addis Ababa. The realignment, announced on 15 July 2026, affects all categories from B-1/B-2 visitor visas to employment-based immigrant preferences. The Department says the change will standardise security screening, reduce adjudication times and save resources by concentrating consular staffing in higher-volume posts. American Citizen Services and emergency non-immigrant visas will continue locally, but most applicants in the affected countries must now travel—sometimes across borders—for biometrics, interviews and medical examinations. Application fees already paid will not be refunded if appointments go unused after 31 July. For U.S. corporations with significant operations in sub-Saharan Africa, the consolidation could lengthen deployment timelines and raise travel costs. HR teams should check whether employees’ host-country passports permit visa-free entry to the new hub location and budget for additional per-diem days. Companies using third-country nationals should reassess assignment sequencing to allow for regional interview requirements, particularly for work-permit renewals that coincide with the busy late-summer peak at hub posts. The move follows similar hub strategies rolled out in parts of Europe and Asia and signals that resource-driven restructuring—not pandemic backlogs—is becoming the new norm in consular operations. Mobility managers are advised to enrol travellers in the Department’s STEP programme and monitor embassy websites for post-specific transition instructions. Early appointment booking and contingency planning for medical exams and police certificates will help avoid project delays.
Source: U.S. Department of State
