U.S. Plans Major Visa Processing Shake-Up, Zimbabweans May Need to Apply in South Africa

The United States is planning a major overhaul of its visa processing system in Africa, a move that could force Zimbabwean applicants to travel to South Africa for visa interviews and other consular services.

According to reports by the Associated Press, the U.S. State Department intends to reduce the number of African embassies handling visa applications from nearly 50 to just 20 regional processing centres. If implemented, the changes would remove most visa-processing functions from the U.S. Embassy in Harare.

While the embassy would remain operational, its role in handling visa applications could be significantly scaled back, requiring Zimbabweans seeking U.S. visas to complete parts of the process in designated regional hubs.

The proposal was reportedly communicated to American diplomats and consular officials during a conference call held on 29 May 2026. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is said to have approved the initiative, although no official implementation date has been announced.

Under the proposed arrangement, South Africa is expected to become one of the continent’s primary visa-processing centres, with Johannesburg and Cape Town designated as key hubs.

Reports indicate that applicants from Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi and Mozambique could be redirected to South Africa for visa interviews and related immigration procedures.

The planned restructuring comes amid heightened scrutiny of Zimbabwe by U.S. authorities over immigration compliance and travel security concerns.

In March 2025, Zimbabwe appeared on a draft U.S. "Yellow List" of countries that were requested to strengthen traveller information-sharing systems, passport security measures and citizenship verification processes. U.S. officials at the time emphasized that the designation did not constitute a travel ban but served as a warning that improvements were required.

Further pressure followed in January 2026 when Washington introduced restrictions affecting certain categories of Zimbabwean travellers, citing concerns over visa overstays.

Despite the proposed changes, the U.S. Embassy in Harare is expected to continue providing services for American citizens, including passport renewals, emergency consular assistance, diplomatic visa processing and other special national-interest cases.

If approved and implemented, the new system would represent one of the most significant changes to U.S. consular operations in Africa in recent years, potentially increasing travel costs and administrative burdens for thousands of Zimbabweans seeking entry into the United States.