The Trump administration has announced plans to drastically slash the number of U.S. embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners seeking to come to the United States.
According to reports, the new rules suggest citizens of a non-hub country will have to travel to one of the 20 approved sites.
The information gathered suggests the US embassy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, and others are part of the 20 hubs.
Parts of the news story by the Associated Press read, “The almost 50 U.S. embassies and consulates that are processing visa applications will be reduced to 20 in the coming weeks, according to three U.S. officials and an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. There is not yet a set date for the change, but it is expected in June, according to the officials, who were not authorized to comment to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The move is part of the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on issuing both immigrant and non-immigrant visas as part of its broader aim to limit immigration to the U.S. and clamp down on those who travel on temporary visas but then overstay them. The administration also has scaled back personnel at embassies and consulates around the world”.
The story further asserted that Visa processing in Africa has already been affected by a travel ban with “certain countries as well as a requirement for applicants to post up to $15,000 bond in order to apply and, more recently, by restrictions caused by the Ebola outbreak”.
“Consular sections in non-hub countries will stay open but be limited in the services they can offer. They will still be able to assist American citizens with passport renewals and emergency consular requests as well as special national interest cases and diplomatic visa applications.
According to the memo, the 20 hubs to remain open for all processing are: 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; Lome, Togo; Luanda, Angola; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Monrovia, Liberia; Nairobi, Kenya; Port Louis, Mauritius; Praia, Cape Verde; and Yaounde, Cameroon”, the report added.
In other news, some months ago, Emmanuel Victor Smith, Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, clarified that the United States is only halting immigrant visas.
Ghana’s Ambassador to the US clarified that business or tourism visas, known as B1-B2 visas, remain unaffected by the temporary suspension.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, January 15, 2026, Ghana’s Ambassador to US Victor Smith explained that the directive applies strictly to immigrant visas.
Emmanuel Victor Smith wrote, “The US State Department confirms that B1-B2 visas will continue. Only immigrant visas are being paused”.
His clarification follows, the Trump administration announcing that the United States is temporarily halting immigrant visa processing for Ghana, Nigeria and 73 other countries.
According to the U.S. State Department, the move takes effect January 21 and will remain in place indefinitely.
They highlighted that consular officers will reassess how visa applicants are evaluated to determine whether they may become overly dependent on U.S. public welfare systems.
Tommy Piggott, a spokesperson for the State Department, stated the move is intended to protect U.S. public resources.
“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” Piggott told Fox News.
“Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
The State Department plans to drastically slash the number of U.S. embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners seeking to come to the United States.
— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) June 2, 2026
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