Citizens and residents of Malawi who are seeking to travel to the United States for any reason whatsoever must now book for appointments and attend visa interviews at the US Embassy in Nairobi.
This is according to a directive that was issued by the United States Department of State.
“The US Department of State is realigning visa operations in Africa to regional hubs as part of a long-standing practice that strengthens national security by promoting more uniform screening, vetting, and adjudication standards, as well as improving efficiency and adjusting to shifting US immigration policy priorities and objectives, the Department of State said.
“Effective August 1, 2026, several US Embassies and Consulates in Africa will no longer be offering routine visa services, including US Embassy Lilongwe. Citizens and residents of Malawi who wish to apply for a US visa must schedule an appointment and pay the required visa fee at US Embassy Nairobi, the new designated location.”
Malawians will now join citizens of Somalia, South Sudan and Eritrea who have been applying gor their US visas at the US Nairobi Embassy.
With this declaration, it now remains to be seen whether the US Nairobi Embassy will experience longer appointment wait times due to the increased demand that is expected from Malawi.
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This is the latest in a series of changes to the visa processes that the US Embassy has been implementing. One of these changes now requires all visa applicants to open up their social media accounts to public to facilitate the vetting process.
“All individuals applying for an A-3, C-3 (if a domestic worker), G-5, H1-B, H-3, H-4 dependent of H-1B and H-3, F, M, J, K-1, K-2, K-3, Q, R-1, R-2, S, T, or U nonimmigrant visa are instructed to adjust the privacy setting on all social media accounts to “public” or “open” to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under US law,” the State Department says.
