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The United States has announced that it will end routine visa processing at its embassy in Abuja from August 1, 2026, as part of a broader restructuring of consular operations across Africa. The change will also affect 24 other US diplomatic missions, with routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa services being transferred to designated regional processing hubs aimed at improving security and standardising visa screening.
Under the new system, the affected embassies will continue to provide other consular services, but applicants seeking routine visa appointments will be redirected to regional hubs handling visa processing. The policy forms part of a wider overhaul by the US government, which is reducing visa-processing locations across Africa while centralising operations in fewer designated centres.
The announcement is expected to affect thousands of visa applicants across the continent, including Nigerians, who may need to travel to alternative processing hubs for routine visa applications. US authorities say the move is intended to strengthen national security and improve the efficiency and consistency of visa adjudication across African missions.
