Miss Universe Zimbabwe Roseanna Hall is racing against time to obtain a US visa and reach Puerto Rico for the 75th Miss Universe pageant, whose winner will be crowned on November 24.
Contestants began arriving on November 8 for registration, fittings and preliminary activities, leaving Hall increasingly anxious as her planned departure passed, according to ZimDaily Journal.
Hall, who has spent the past week in South Africa, said she had been “back and forth” trying to secure approval after the delay disrupted her journey. “Today is the day that I was supposed to be leaving for Puerto Rico,” she said in an Instagram video, adding that “the fight is not over.”
The problem is linked to US Presidential Proclamation 10998, which took effect on January 1, 2026. It partially suspends visitor, student, exchange and immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 19 countries, including Zimbabwe and Zambia, although applicants may still apply and may qualify for limited exceptions.
Zambia has already withdrawn its delegate, registered nurse Pamela Mubanga, after organisers said her inability to travel resulted from the US restrictions rather than personal documentation or organizational failures.
Hall said other African contestants face similar uncertainty, while Miss Universe South Sudan described its representative’s chances of participating as “50/50.”
The pageant’s final will be held at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, leaving Hall and other affected contestants with little time to resolve their travel documents.
