US shifts Malawi visa processing to Nairobi

The United States Government has suspended routine visa processing in Malawi, requiring applicants to travel to Nairobi, Kenya as part of a broader reorganisation of its visa services across sub-Saharan Africa. In a July 15 notice published by the US Department of State, Malawi is among countries whose visa centres will be transferred to regional processing hubs from August 1. The US Embassy in Lilongwe said in a written response that the move is part of an expansion of an existing system designed to strengthen visa screening and better allocate resources.

Reads the response: “We are expanding this proven practice by realigning routine visa processing in sub-Saharan Africa to approximately 20 regional hubs starting August 1. The embassy said Malawians seeking visas from August 1 will have to book appointments and pay visa fees at their designated processing centre in Nairobi. The development comes weeks after Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation George Chaponda publicly expressed concern about reports that the US planned to relocate visa services from Malawi.

Speaking in Lilongwe earlier this month during celebrations marking the US National Day celebrations, the minister said the two countries’ relationship should extend beyond commemorations to addressing difficult issues with “grace and mutual respect”. He said the changes to US visa arrangements would affect Malawians seeking medical treatment, students pursuing education, businesspeople and professionals travelling to the United States. “This is not a minor inconvenience,” Chaponda said.

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The minister also lamented the discontinuation of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact II programme, saying it had deprived Malawi of a transformative investment in the country’s transport sector and created a significant development gap. In March 2025, the US terminated contracts worth $230 million (nearly K400 billion) under the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) in Malawi. The decision followed US President Donald Trump’s decision in January 2025 to issue an executive order for a 90-day halt in foreign assistance pending a review of efficiencies and consistency with his foreign policy.

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