I write as a deeply concerned Zambian following the decision by the United States Government to require Zambians to travel to South Africa for routine visa interviews.
While every sovereign nation has the right to determine how it manages its immigration system, this new arrangement places an unnecessary financial and logistical burden on ordinary Zambians.
What was already an expensive process has now become even more out of reach.
An applicant will now have to pay for a passport, the U.S. visa application fee, transport to Johannesburg or Cape Town, accommodation, meals and local transport before even knowing whether the visa will be granted.
If the application requires additional administrative processing, the applicant may have to remain in South Africa longer or make another trip altogether.
This policy effectively turns a visa application into a regional travel exercise. Students hoping to study in America, businesspeople seeking investment opportunities, academics attending conferences and families wishing to visit relatives will all face significantly higher costs.
Many deserving applicants may simply abandon their plans because they cannot afford the extra expenses. In effect, access to the visa process itself becomes dependent on one’s financial means rather than the merits of the application.
The timing is also unfortunate given the growing economic and educational links between Zambia and the United States. Encouraging trade, investment and academic exchange should go hand in hand with making legitimate travel more accessible, not more difficult.
I hope the U.S. Embassy will reconsider this arrangement or, at the very least, introduce periodic visa interview sessions in Lusaka to ease the burden on Zambian applicants.
Such outreach programmes have been implemented in other parts of the world and would demonstrate consideration for applicants who now face hundreds of dollars in additional travel costs.
I also urge our Government to engage the United States through diplomatic channels to explore whether routine visa services can eventually be restored in Zambia. Strong bilateral relations should make it possible to find a solution that serves both security interests and the convenience of travellers.
For many ordinary Zambians, the American dream has just become considerably more expensive.
Yours faithfully,
A Concerned Zambian Citizen
Lusaka