Three Recent Announcements Suggest a Revenue Shortfall – What This Means for Your Global Mobility  Program

The U.S. State Department has made three announcements in the recent past that collectively signal a meaningful shift in how and where  it delivers consular services globally. Specifically, it is consolidating its worldwide consular footprint, dramatically reducing visa processing posts across Africa, and introducing a new $750 expedited appointment option for B-1/B-2 applicants.

While announced separately with independent justification, together they raise an important practical issue for corporate global mobility programs: is the revenue available for consular services so diminished that the lack of interview availability and increased processing times make global business travel largely impractical?

The following is an update on the current situation.

Development 1: The Global Footprint Reduction

Beginning in early 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) turned its attention to the State Department’s overseas presence. An internal planning document — reported by CNN — recommended the closure of approximately 27 diplomatic posts: 10 embassies and 17 consulates spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.

The list includes five consulates in France (Lyon, Rennes, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, and Marseille), two in Germany, one in the United Kingdom, and posts in Malta, Luxembourg, South Sudan, and elsewhere. The Department’s stated approach centers on regional consolidation, directing consular workload to larger hub posts,  and operating more efficiently within a reduced budget.

The obvious tradeoff for this approach is capacity: the State Department has noted in its own Federal Register filings that wait times at some posts already exceed 12 months, and absorbing redirected applicants from closed posts will only increase scheduling delays.

Development 2: Africa Visa Processing Hubs 

The most recent and potentially most impactful development involves Africa. On June 1, 2026, the Associated Press reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved a directive to reduce routine visa processing in Africa from approximately 50 posts to just 20 regional hubs.

The 20 designated processing hubs are: Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Accra (Ghana), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Cape Town (South Africa), Dakar (Senegal), Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Djibouti, Johannesburg (South Africa), Kampala (Uganda), Kigali (Rwanda), Kinshasa (Congo), Lagos (Nigeria), Lomé (Togo), Luanda (Angola), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Monrovia (Liberia), Nairobi (Kenya), Port Louis (Mauritius), Praia (Cape Verde), and Yaoundé (Cameroon).

Embassies and consulates not on this list will remain open for U.S. citizen services, but routine nonimmigrant and immigrant visa adjudications will move to the nearest hub. For applicants in non-hub countries, that means additional cross-border travel, increased costs, and unpredictable scheduling.

For corporate clients with employees or candidates in Africa, the practical implication is straightforward: processing timelines are likely to lengthen, and logistical planning for visa interviews will require more lead time and coordination than ever before.

Development 3: The $750 B-1/B-2 Expedite Fee 

As noted in our prior blog, the State Department recently published a Temporary Final Rule creating an optional $750 expedited appointment fee for B-1/B-2 business and tourism visa applicants. The pilot runs from July 1 through December 31, 2026.

The mechanics are straightforward: applicants pay the $750 fee on top of the standard $185 application fee (total: $935) to secure an interview at a participating post within 10 business days. The State Department has projected approximately 25,000 expedited slots for the pilot period, capped so as not to displace regular appointment availability.

A few key details:

• It only moves up the interview date. The fee has no effect on adjudication speed, administrative processing, or passport return. Approval depends entirely on the consular officer.
• The fee is non-refundable. 
• Participating posts are not yet published. Although it is anticipated that the program will launch in Mexico and other Western Hemisphere posts, the State Department has not listed them on travel.state.gov. Applicants should monitor that page as July 1 approaches.

The State Department has described the trial period for the fee as a “proof of concept,” meaning if successful, the expedite program may potentially expand to other visa categories.

Is the State Department Short on Cash?

While data for 2026 is not widely available, anecdotal reports suggest that the significant decline in the number of U.S. nonimmigrant visa applications continues. In 2025, the year in which the most recent data is available, overall U.S. visa issuances fell roughly 11 percent and B-1/B-2 business and tourism visas, the core of consular fee revenue, dropped by approximately 200,000 applications, or 3.4 percent, in the first eight months of 2025  compared to the same period in 2024. 

Student visa issuances fell even further: F-1 visas declined 22 percent year-over-year in May 2025, and the summer of 2025 saw more than 100,000 fewer student visas issued than the prior summer — a 35.6 percent drop. 

Because consular operations are largely funded through visa application fees, when visa volume drops, the Department’s operating revenue drops with it. The data referenced above suggests a sizable revenue shortfall may be driving the Department’s recent initiatives.

In the context of fewer applicants, lower revenue, and a DOGE-driven mandate to cut 20 percent from operations, the consolidation moves, hub strategy and $750 expedite fee make operational sense. Whether these measures can stabilize consular revenues, or whether further service reductions follow,  remains to be seen.

For corporate global mobility and immigration professionals, it is important to consider the following:

• Africa-based candidates and employees face the most immediate impact. If you have pending or planned consular cases from non-hub countries, contact your Meltzer Hellrung team now to assess processing timelines and nearest hub options.
• Plan further ahead for B-1 business travel. Consolidated posts and reduced staffing mean longer wait times in high-volume locations.
• The $750 expedite fee can be a useful tool for urgent business trips, but confirm the post participates and confirm the case is interview-ready.
• Monitor implementation timelines. Not all changes are in effect simultaneously, and the Africa hub directive does not yet have an official effective date. We are tracking developments and will provide updates as details emerge.

As always, reach out to your Meltzer Hellrung team with questions about how these changes affect your specific workforce or employee travel needs.