US to slash Africa visa-processing embassies

The United States plans to reduce the number of embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners from nearly 50 to about 20 in the coming weeks, according to three US officials and an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press.

The change, expected in June, is part of the Trump administration’s effort to limit immigration and clamp down on people who overstay temporary visas. The administration has also scaled back personnel at embassies worldwide.

Under a directive approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, consular operations will be reduced to 20 “hubs” across Africa, the officials said. Citizens of non‑hub countries will have to travel to one of the approved sites, which could pose formidable travel challenges and high costs.

Consular sections in non‑hub countries will remain open but will offer limited services. They will still be able to assist American citizens with passport renewals and emergency consular requests, as well as handle special national interest cases and diplomatic visa applications.

The 20 hubs that will remain open for full visa 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 (DR Congo), Lagos (Nigeria), Lomé (Togo), Luanda (Angola), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Monrovia (Liberia), Nairobi (Kenya), Port Louis (Mauritius), Praia (Cape Verde) and Yaoundé (Cameroon).

The State Department said it constantly evaluates overseas operations to deploy taxpayer resources efficiently, including a visa process that maintains rigorous security screening and aligns capacity with America’s national interests.

Visa processing in Africa has already been affected by a travel ban on certain countries, a requirement for applicants to post up to $15,000 bond, and restrictions caused by the Ebola outbreak.

SOURCE: AP