The United States Department of State has announced changes to visa services in Nigeria and several other African countries as part of a broader realignment of operations towards regional visa hubs.
The US Mission in Nigeria disclosed this in a visa services update on Tuesday, stating that routine visa operations in Abuja are among those being realigned.
The changes affect applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, including those travelling to the United States for tourism, business and other temporary purposes.
The State Department said the move was aimed at strengthening national security, improving efficiency and ensuring greater consistency in visa screening and adjudication.
It said the administration of President Donald Trump was prioritising national security and the efficient use of government resources.
According to the department, it regularly reviews its overseas operations to ensure they advance US priorities while maintaining rigorous standards for security screening and vetting.
The department said the realignment of visa operations in Africa towards regional hubs was part of a long-standing practice intended to promote more uniform screening, vetting and adjudication standards.
It added that the regional hub system had already been implemented successfully in several African countries as well as in Europe.
The State Department listed the affected locations as Abuja, Antananarivo, Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Durban, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Juba, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Maseru, Mbabane, N’Djamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou and Windhoek.
The department said the changes formed part of its continuing review of overseas operations to ensure that diplomatic resources and operational capacity remained aligned with US national security priorities.
Applicants affected by the changes are expected to follow updates from the US Mission regarding the processing of their visa applications and appointments.
