- The US embassy in Harare suspended most visa processing services in Zimbabwe starting 7 August.
- The move is part of broader Trump administration restrictions on African countries.
- Students and families are significantly impacted by the suspension, with some scholarship recipients unable to travel for university studies.
The United States has stopped processing most visas in Zimbabwe until further notice, its embassy in the capital Harare said on Wednesday, citing unspecified concerns with the government.
“We have paused routine visa services in Harare while we address concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe,” the embassy said in a post on X. It said the move was not a travel ban and that current visas would remain valid.
The government of the Southern African country did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The pause took effect on 7 August, according to a notice on the US State Department’s website, which said it applied to all visa services with the exception of most diplomatic and official visas.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has restricted travel from a number of African countries, saying it is working to prevent visa overstaying and misuse.
READ | US halts visa applications in Zimbabwe ‘to prevent visa overstay and misuse’
Zimbabwe had a visa overstay rate of 10.57% in 2023, according to a US Department of Homeland Security report.
Starting this week, the US will require visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi to pay bonds of up to $15,000 for some visitor visas. The Trump administration has also paused visa processing in Niger.
Harare resident Angella Chirombo said her 18-year-old son had received a scholarship to do his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University and had been waiting for a visa interview when the pause hit.
She said:
He was supposed to be in school already. I paid for everything else and was waiting for the visa so I could buy tickets.
She said other parents were considering booking interviews at other US embassies in Southern Africa, but that she wouldn’t be able to afford the travel.
“Now they are saying we can go to Zambia and Namibia. I don’t even have money right now and I don’t know where to get this money. They are so many students that have been affected.”
