It has been reported that Washington is preparing to significantly reduce the number of diplomatic embassies in Africa that process visa applications.
The U.S. government has announced a new immigration control reform for the thousands of Africans who apply for visas to enter the country. Ethiopia, however, has been excluded from this reform.
According to this new structural change, which is expected to be implemented within the coming weeks, the number of embassies that previously processed visa applications on the continent will be reduced from 50 to 20.
It has been noted that Egypt and Sudan are among the countries included in this visa service reduction.
This shift in U.S. diplomatic practice is expected to significantly alter the chances of traveling to the United States for applicants living in African countries where visa services are being discontinued, and to tighten travel conditions.
Furthermore, it is stated that the measure is part of a broad plan by the Donald Trump administration to further tighten immigration control and strengthen visa screening processes.
However, the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, has been selected as one of the 20 African cities that will retain the capacity to provide full visa services, unaffected by the new visa restriction policy.
Although the official launch date for this directive, approved by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has not been disclosed, it was reported to diplomats in an internal phone call last Friday that the transition process will begin this June.
The U.S. government maintains that consolidating visa verifications at a few centers will help improve the quality of security screening and protect U.S. national interests.
However, it is feared that this decision will lead to additional costs, time delays, and logistical challenges, as students, tourists, business travelers, and migrants from countries where visa services are being discontinued will be forced to cross borders to travel to the 20 designated regional centers.
Embassies with reduced visa services will not close entirely; they will continue to provide emergency support and passport services for U.S. citizens, and will also continue to process diplomatic visas and cases involving special national interests.
Accordingly, the 20 African cities that will retain their full visa processing capacity include Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal, Tanzania, Djibouti, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Additionally, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Togo, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Kenya, Mauritius, Cape Verde, and Cameroon are also included.
