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Marrakech – The US State Department plans to dramatically reduce the number of embassies and consulates across Africa authorized to process visa applications, cutting current operations from nearly 50 to just 20 in the coming weeks.
The move, first reported by the Associated Press (AP) on Monday, stems from a directive that Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved last week. Three US officials and an internal memo obtained by the AP corroborated the plan, though no firm date has been set for implementation. The overhaul is expected to take effect this month.
During a conference call last Friday, US diplomats – including consular chiefs – were briefed on Washington’s decision to scale back visa services across the continent, according to one official who participated in the call.
The decision forms part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign to restrict both immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuance and curb overstays by travelers entering on temporary permits. The administration has also trimmed personnel at embassies and consulates worldwide since returning to office.
Under the new framework, 20 designated “hubs” will preserve full visa-processing capabilities. The approved locations are Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Djibouti; 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.
Consular sections in non-hub countries will remain operational but under sharply curtailed mandates. They will continue to handle passport renewals for American citizens, emergency consular requests, special national interest cases, and diplomatic visa applications.
For citizens of countries excluded from the hub list, the new arrangement imposes formidable logistical burdens. Applicants will need to travel – often across national borders – to reach one of the 20 approved sites, a requirement that carries considerable costs.
Visa processing across the continent had already faced mounting disruptions before this latest move. A travel ban targeting certain African nations, a bond requirement of up to $15,000 for visa applicants, and restrictions linked to the Ebola outbreak have all compounded barriers for prospective travelers.
The State Department did not address the specifics of the leaked memo but noted that it “is constantly evaluating its overseas operations” to deploy resources in a manner that “advances America’s priorities” and maintains “rigorous standards of security screening and vetting.”
Morocco – home to both a US Embassy in Rabat and a Consulate General in Casablanca – does not feature among the 20 designated hubs, though it remains unclear whether the kingdom’s consular operations fall under the same restrictions.
It is unlikely, however, that Morocco would fall under the directive on administrative grounds. Although geographically situated in Africa, the kingdom is assigned to the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs rather than the Bureau of African Affairs, which oversees the posts targeted by Rubio’s order.
The hub list groups consular sections linked to embassies, and Morocco’s newest facility in Casablanca operates as a standalone consulate general – a distinction that may also exempt it from the directive.
The uncertainty arrives barely a month after Washington inaugurated a brand-new consulate compound in Casablanca’s Casa Anfa financial district, known as Casablanca Finance City (CFC), on April 30.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and US Ambassador Duke Buchan III led the dedication ceremony alongside Fouad Ali El Himma, Advisor to King Mohammed VI, and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
The $350 million facility spans nearly 2.7 hectares and incorporates solar energy and water conservation systems alongside a curated collection of Moroccan and American artwork.
Landau described the compound as “a concrete investment” in the future of bilateral cooperation and declared that Washington remained “open for business with Morocco.” Buchan remarked that the country now hosts both America’s oldest diplomatic facility – the American Legation in Tangier – and its newest.
The inauguration also coincided with celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American independence. Both nations are set to mark 250 years of diplomatic friendship next year, a bond that began when Morocco became the first country to recognize the young American republic.
