US suspends visa applications for 26 more African countries
Written by Skyz Metro FM on January 15, 2026
15 January 2026
Nokusa Masuku
The US is indefinitely suspending visa applications for travellers from 75 countries, including visitors from almost half of Africa.
Consular officers have been told to stop processing applicants from 26 African nations starting 21 January while the State Department reassesses how it weighs the likelihood that foreigners could become a “public charge” on US taxpayers.
Most of the suspended countries are in Africa and Latin America. The new list includes a mix of countries that the US has a difficult relationship with which include South Africa, Somalia, Eritrea and regional powerhouses Nigeria and Ethiopia while also key US allies Egypt, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire have been included.
Countries that the US has been courting for their minerals such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Guinea are also among the list.
Also on the list are three of the five countries, Gabon, Senegal, Liberia, that Trump invited for his working lunch with African leaders last year.
The campaign is being spearheaded by President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller.
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Skyz Metro FM