Updated

African contestants for the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico are facing possible exclusion because of US visa restrictions, the BBC reported. Miss Universe Zimbabwe, Roseanna Hall, has not yet obtained a US visa, and the 75th edition's winner is due to be crowned on 24 November. Zambia has withdrawn its representative, Pamela Mubanga, a 25-year-old registered nurse crowned on 8 October, because of the restrictions. The Miss Universe organization in Zambia said her situation stemmed from the presidential travel restriction affecting Zambia and other African countries, and said five other African countries faced similar difficulties without naming them. Miss Universe South Sudan said it was 50/50 whether it would make it. Zimbabwe is one of 19 countries under partial US travel restrictions introduced under Presidential Proclamation 10998, which took effect on 1 January 2026 and suspend visitor, student, exchange and immigrant visas for nationals of affected countries. Contestants began arriving in Puerto Rico on 8 November for registration and fittings, and Hall said she had spent weeks in South Africa trying to secure her visa. The final is scheduled at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan.