U.S. Visa Shake-Up: New Interview Policy Hits African Applicants Hard

New U.S. Visa Interview Policy: What It Means for Africa and Beyond

The Trump administration has once again rolled out a fresh set of visa restrictions, and this time, the spotlight falls on where applicants can sit for their interviews. In a new policy issued by the U.S. Department of State, applicants for nonimmigrant visas (NIVs) are now required to attend interviews strictly at embassies or consulates located in their country of nationality or residence.

That means no more visa shopping. No more scheduling appointments in whichever consulate had the shortest wait time. Instead, the new rule pins applicants to their home country, or, if they are residing elsewhere legally, their country of residence.

For millions of travelers, this is more than just an administrative tweak. It reshapes access to the United States at a time when travel restrictions, political polarization, and security concerns already complicate global mobility. And for Africa, where U.S. consular coverage has long been thin due to political instability and security risks, the move has a particularly heavy impact.

The New Rule: No More Flexibility

For years, visa applicants around the world had some leeway when applying for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa. A Nigerian living in Ghana, for example, could schedule an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, or even try their luck in another nearby country if interview slots were available.

That flexibility is gone.

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Under the new policy, applicants must demonstrate that they are applying either in their country of nationality or in a country where they are legally resident. Applying outside those parameters now carries a significant risk: applicants could face “greater difficulty qualifying for a visa,” according to the State Department. In practice, this means that unless you can show you live legally in the country where you are applying, your chances of success plummet. What once was an option to sidestep overcrowded embassies or avoid unstable conditions has now been eliminated. The official explanation? To “streamline consular operations and reduce irregularities in visa scheduling.” But critics see it as yet another tightening of the screws in Trump’s broader immigration crackdown.

The policy shift matters everywhere, but its impact is particularly acute in Africa. Many African countries don’t host U.S. embassies that provide routine visa services, often due to security risks, political instability, or strained diplomatic relations.

For applicants from these countries, the U.S. has designated alternative consulates across the continent. Here’s the breakdown:

Country	Designated Location

Chad	Yaoundé, Cameroon

Libya

Tunis, Tunisia

Niger

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Somalia

Nairobi, Kenya

South Sudan

Nairobi, Kenya

Sudan

Cairo, Egypt

Zimbabwe

Johannesburg, South Africa

So what does this mean in practice?

A Somali applicant must now travel to Nairobi, Kenya, navigating not only travel costs but also potential political challenges at home and abroad.
A Zimbabwean applicant must go all the way to Johannesburg, South Africa, which could be prohibitively expensive for many.
A Sudanese applicant must head to Cairo, Egypt, a country that itself poses travel restrictions for some Sudanese nationals.

It’s a logistical nightmare that piles new barriers onto populations already struggling with travel instability.

Africa isn’t the only region feeling the squeeze. The U.S. has imposed similar measures elsewhere. Afghan nationals, for instance, must now apply through Islamabad, Pakistan. Russian citizens, cut off from most U.S. consular functions in their home country, are being directed to Astana, Kazakhstan, or Warsaw, Poland. The logic is the same: centralize and control the visa process in a handful of “safe” regional posts. But for applicants, especially those from politically volatile countries, the costs, in money, time, and uncertainty,are steep.

What’s Driving the Change?

To understand the rationale, you have to look at the broader trajectory of Trump-era immigration policy. Since returning to the White House, Trump has doubled down on his promises of tougher border and visa controls. His administration argues that:

Consular Streamlining: Centralizing interviews reduces irregularities, fraud, and “visa shopping.”
Security Concerns: Limiting applications to home or residence countries ensures applicants can be better vetted.
Policy Consistency: Standardizing interview locations prevents people from exploiting differences in embassy workloads or policies.

But critics say the deeper motivation is political. This policy, like others before it, creates new barriers to entry for people from regions, particularly Africa, already underrepresented in U.S. immigration pathways.

For an African applicant, the new rule translates into concrete burdens. Let’s break it down:

Financial Strain: Imagine a Sudanese applicant having to pay not only for the visa application but also flights to Cairo, accommodation, and other travel costs, all before knowing whether they will even get a visa.
Increased Risk: Traveling through conflict zones or politically unstable regions adds personal danger to an already stressful process.
Delays and Uncertainty: Many of the designated embassies serve multiple countries, creating bottlenecks and long wait times for interviews.

It’s not just about visas, it’s about access to opportunities. For students hoping to attend U.S. universities, business people seeking trade opportunities, or families trying to visit relatives, these changes represent a major hurdle. This policy is part of a much larger mosaic. From attempts to curb birthright citizenship to new “good moral character” requirements for naturalization, Trump has sought to redefine the terms of entry and belonging in America.

Visa policy is no exception. By tightening where and how interviews are conducted, the administration is not just streamlining a bureaucratic process, it’s sending a message. America’s doors are open, but only on stricter, narrower terms. For African nations in particular, this feels like a step backward. Just as young people, professionals, and entrepreneurs increasingly look outward for global opportunities, the hurdles to U.S. entry keep multiplying.

The new visa interview policy may look like a technical adjustment, but its effects will ripple across continents. For Africans from countries without U.S. consular services, the designated embassies now serve as both gateways and gatekeepers. What this means is simple: America is making it harder, not easier, for people from politically unstable regions to enter. Whether that’s truly about “streamlining operations” or simply about shrinking the pipeline of African applicants depends on where you stand politically.

One thing is certain: for those caught in the middle, students, families, and professionals, the path to the American dream just got longer, more expensive, and more uncertain.