US to shut down routine visa processing at Abuja Embassy and 24 other African hubs
Thousands of Nigerians seeking US visas will no longer be able to process their applications at the US Embassy in Abuja from August 1, 2026, following a major visa service shake-up announced by the United States.
The US Department of State said routine visa services at its embassy in Abuja and 24 other diplomatic posts across Africa will be realigned to regional hubs as part of efforts to strengthen national security, reduce government waste, and ensure more uniform screening, vetting and adjudication standards.
According to the department, the move is in line with President Donald Trump’s administration’s goal of “putting America and Americans first.”
“The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,” the department said, adding that it will continue to provide appropriate consular services at diplomatic posts worldwide.
The State Department clarified that the affected embassies and consulates will remain operational and that the policy does not invalidate any currently valid US visas.
The visa categories affected include immediate relative (IR), family preference (FP), employment-based (EB), fiancée/fiancé (K), adoption, diversity visa, and follow-to-join asylee and refugee (V92/V93) cases.
However, routine visa services will continue at designated hub locations, including Lagos, Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar-es-Salaam, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Luanda, Monrovia, Nairobi, Praia and other selected cities. These hubs will process both immigrant and non-immigrant visa applications.
The department advised applicants in affected countries to book appointments and pay visa fees at their designated hub locations from August 1.
The policy is expected to affect thousands of Nigerians, as Abuja has been one of the country’s two main US visa processing centres alongside the Consulate in Lagos. Going forward, many applicants may now have to travel to Lagos or other designated African hubs to complete their visa applications.
