Visa processing shift won’t affect Abuja embassy operations – US

The United States Mission in Nigeria has confirmed that the planned realignment of visa services in Africa will not impact the operations of the US Embassy in Abuja. The change, scheduled to begin on August 1, 2026, involves moving routine visa processing from Abuja to a regional hub in Lagos. The US Mission in Nigeria clarified this through a post on its official X account, stating that the realignment is limited to visa processing and will not lead to the closure of the embassy.

The Department of State announced the realignment on July 15, aiming to enhance national security, efficiency, and uniformity in screening and adjudication standards. Under the new arrangement, citizens and residents of affected countries will need to schedule appointments and pay visa fees at designated nonimmigrant or immigrant visa locations in Lagos.

The realignment covers both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas, including tourist, business-related, petition-based, immediate relative, family preference, employment-based, fiancée/fiancé, adoption, Diversity Visa, and asylee and refugee cases. The US Mission reiterated that existing valid visas will remain unaffected by the realignment.

Applicants with appointments scheduled at posts discontinuing routine visa services are advised to check their emails for specific guidance and schedule their appointments by July 31 if they have already paid the Machine Readable Visa fee.