ABUJA — The United States Mission in Nigeria has clarified that the realignment of routine visa processing in Africa will not affect the operational status of the US Embassy in Abuja.

The clarification followed an announcement by the US Department of State that routine visa services in Abuja would be transferred to a regional visa hub effective August 1, 2026.

The US Mission Nigeria, in a post on its official X account on Monday, said the change was limited to routine visa processing and would not result in the closure of the embassy.

“The realignment of routine visa processing does not change the operating status of any of the embassies and consulates or the important work they continue to conduct on behalf of the American people,” the mission said.

The Department of State had, in a notice published on July 15, announced plans to realign routine visa operations in several African countries to regional hubs as part of efforts to strengthen national security, improve efficiency and promote more uniform screening, vetting and adjudication standards.

The department said the measure was part of a long-standing practice and that similar realignments had previously been implemented in several African and European countries.

Effective August 1, routine visa services in Abuja and several other locations will be transferred to designated regional visa hubs.

For Nigeria, Lagos has been designated as the regional hub for routine US visa services.

Other regional hubs listed by the State Department include Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia and Yaoundé.

The realignment covers both nonimmigrant and immigrant visa services.

Nonimmigrant categories affected include tourist and business visas as well as petition-based visa categories, while immigrant services include immediate relative, family preference and employment-based visas, among others.

The affected immigrant categories also include fiancé/fiancée visas, adoption cases, Diversity Visas and follow-to-join cases involving asylees and refugees.

Under the new arrangement, citizens and residents of affected countries seeking US visas on or after August 1 will be required to schedule appointments and pay applicable visa fees at designated regional visa posts.

The State Department, however, stressed that the change does not affect currently valid US visas.

Applicants who already have appointments scheduled at posts where routine visa services are being discontinued have been advised to check their email for specific instructions from the department.

The department also directed applicants who have paid the Machine Readable Visa fee at posts where only limited nonimmigrant services will remain to schedule their appointments by July 31.

It warned that the fees would not be refunded if applicants failed to schedule appointments before the deadline.

For immigrant visa applicants affected by the realignment, the US said mandatory medical examinations could be conducted in their home countries where approved panel physicians are available, or at their designated regional visa hubs.

The department further noted that visa restrictions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, visa bond requirements and immigrant visa pauses affecting certain nationalities remain in effect.

The clarification by the US Mission means that although routine visa processing is being moved from Abuja to Lagos, the US Embassy in Abuja will remain open and continue its diplomatic and other consular functions in Nigeria.