US expands visa bond of $15,000 to more countries

The United States (US) administration under President Donald Trump is set to require citizens from 50 countries to post a $15,000 (£11,800) bond when applying for entry to the US, State Department official confirmed on Wednesday.

These nations join a list of 38 others, including Nigeria, Algeria, Bangladesh, Fiji, and Venezuela, where the bond requirement was already in place.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that 12 nations are being added to an existing list of 38 countries, the majority of which are located in Africa.

Preventing visa overstays

The expanded programme requires foreign nationals applying for B1 (business) or B2 (tourism) visas to pay the $15,000 bond. The policy is scheduled to take effect on April 2.

According to the State Department official, the primary objective is to deter visitors from remaining in the country illegally. “The aim is to prevent visitors from overstaying their visas,” the official said, adding that the programme has already successfully “reduced the number of people who overstay.”

The official further clarified that the funds are refundable: “Bonds will be returned to visa recipients who return home in compliance with the terms of the visa and the bond, or do not travel in the first place.”

Affected nations

The 12 new countries joining the programme are:

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Africa: Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tunisia

Americas & Caribbean: Grenada, Nicaragua.

Asia & Pacific: Cambodia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea.

Europe: Georgia.

A hard-line approach
Since returning to office last January, President Trump has intensified his “hard-line” immigration agenda. This has included aggressive deportation efforts, the revocation of various visas and green cards, and increased scrutiny of immigrants’ social media activity and public statements.

Read also: FG moves to track visa overstayers, orders nationwide crackdown on irregular migrants
Last June, the administration issued a travel ban that restricted citizens from 19 nations from entering the US citing national security concerns.

While the administration and its allies maintain these policies are essential for domestic security, human rights organisations have condemned the measures.

Critics argue the bonds and travel bans undermine free speech and bypass established due process guarantees.

Ngozi Ekugo

Ngozi Ekugo is a Senior Correspondent at BusinessDay. She holds a Masters in management from the University of Lagos, an undergraduate from University of Lagos, and is in an alumni of Queen's College. Shes currently an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM). She has a brief experience at Goldman sachs, London in its Human Capital Management division. She is interested in human capital development and is leveraging her varied experience across sectors to report labour and global mobility trends for stakeholders to make informed decisions.