Miss Universe Zimbabwe Roseanna Hall and other African contestants are in danger of missing this year’s competition in Puerto Rico as they try to secu
Miss Universe Zimbabwe Roseanna Hall and other African contestants are in danger of missing this year’s competition in Puerto Rico as they try to secure US visas before the pageant begins.
Hall is scheduled to represent Zimbabwe at the 75th edition of Miss Universe, whose winner will be crowned on 24 November. However, she has not yet received the visa needed to travel to the US territory.
“We have been back and forth, trying to get my visa approved,” Hall said in a video shared on her Instagram page.
The uncertainty has also affected Zambia, which has withdrawn its representative, Pamela Mubanga, because of the US travel restrictions.
Contestants began arriving in Puerto Rico on 8 November for registration, fittings and other activities ahead of the event. The timetable has increased the pressure on Hall and contestants including Miss Universe South Sudan to resolve their visa situations.
“Officially, today is the day I was supposed to be leaving for Puerto Rico for the 75th edition of Miss Universe,” Hall said.
Zimbabwe is one of 19 countries covered by partial US travel restrictions introduced under Presidential Proclamation 10998, which came into force on 1 January 2026.
The measures suspend the issuing of visitor, student and exchange visas, together with immigrant visas, to nationals of the affected countries. They also limit access to other types of non-immigrant visas.
In a statement, the Miss Universe organisation in Zambia said Mubanga’s withdrawal was the result of the restrictions rather than an issue specific to the contestant.
“Unlike situations where a contestant’s visa is denied due to personal circumstances, documentation or organisational challenges, Mubanga’s situation is linked to the United States’ presidential travel restriction affecting Zambia and other African countries,” the statement said.
Mubanga, 25, is a registered nurse. She won the Miss Universe Zambia title on 8 October and had been due to represent the country at the international pageant.
The organisation said five other African countries were experiencing similar problems, but did not identify them.
Hall said she understood the concerns of the other contestants and had spent the past few weeks in South Africa attempting to obtain her visa.
“I am not alone in this predicament. Some of my African sisters are facing the same predicament, and I know exactly what they are going through,” she said.
Miss Universe South Sudan also indicated that her attendance remained uncertain. Commenting on Hall’s video, she wrote: “It is 50/50 whether we will make it, Miss Universe.”
In a video posted three days earlier, Hall said she was continuing to hope she would reach Puerto Rico. She captioned the post: “The fight to get Zimbabwe to Puerto Rico continues,”
The Miss Universe final is due to be held at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan.
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