Miss Universe Zimbabwe Roseanna Hall and several other contestants from Africa could miss this year's Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico as they race to secure a United States visa, the BBC reported on Friday.

Hall, 34, is due to represent Zimbabwe at the 75th edition of the pageant, with the winner set to be crowned on 24 November. But she has yet to obtain a visa to travel to the US territory, and time is running out.

Stranded in South Africa as contestants arrive

Contestants began arriving in Puerto Rico on 8 November for registration, fittings and other pre-pageant activities. Hall was scheduled to fly out on Sunday, 8 November, but instead spent the day in South Africa, where she has spent the past week trying to unlock a visa.

In a video posted on her Instagram page, Hall said she had been going back and forth trying to get her documentation approved. "We have been back and forth, trying to get my visa approved," she said, adding that the Zimbabwean government, private individuals and the Miss Universe Zimbabwe organisation were working to resolve her visa challenges.

Every day she remains in Johannesburg, her chances of competing narrow. The pageant's final is scheduled to take place at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, with the national costume presentation on 21 November and the preliminary competition on 22 November.

US travel restrictions behind the delay

The obstacle is US Presidential Proclamation 10998, titled "Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States", which came into force on 1 January 2026.

Zimbabwe is among 19 countries subject to partial US travel restrictions under the proclamation. The measures suspend the issuance of visitor, student and exchange visas, as well as immigrant visas, to nationals of the affected countries, while imposing limits on other non-immigrant visas. Zimbabweans can still lodge applications and attend interviews, but under the new rules they can be found ineligible for issuance or admission.

The proclamation does not cancel visas that were already valid on its effective date, a protection Hall does not appear to benefit from.

Zambia withdraws as others face the same barrier

Hall is not the only African contestant affected. Zambia has withdrawn its representative, Pamela Mubanga, from the competition because of the US travel restrictions.

Mubanga, 25, a registered nurse, was crowned Miss Universe Zambia on 8 October and was due to represent the country at the international pageant. In a statement, the Miss Universe organisation in Zambia said Mubanga's situation was a consequence of the travel restrictions rather than individual circumstances, after weeks of unsuccessful efforts to secure a US visa, including appeals for diplomatic assistance.

The Zambian organisation said five other African countries faced similar difficulties, although it did not name them. Reports have also named Angola, Nepal and the Republic of Congo among delegations unable to take part because of visa difficulties, with around 15 countries set to miss the finale altogether once franchise disputes and health and personal reasons are counted.

For Hall, the wait continues. With the final less than two weeks away and the pre-pageant programme already under way in San Juan, the coming days will decide whether Zimbabwe's representative takes the stage at all, or whether a visa rule written in Washington keeps her at home.

Source: BBC News | Maravi Post