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Di US don add Malawi and Zambia di list of kontris wey dia citizens go pay $15,000 (£11,300) deposit for tourist or business visa.
Dis na under di 12-month pilot programme wey dey aim to stop visa overstays “or wia dem no fit confam screening and vetting information”, according to notice wey di state department publish.
Officials say di citizens of kontris oda dan Malawi and Zambia fit also need to pay similar deposit, wey dem go return for di end of dia visit to di US.
Di US administration don take several steps to further President Donald Trump agenda to stop illegal immigration.
President Donald Trump bin sign executive order for di first day of im second term to dis effect.
For di state department notice, wey dem publish on Tuesday, dem say: “Aliens wey dey apply for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and wey be nationals of kontris wey di Department don identify say dem get high visa overstay rates.”
Di Department also add say, “dem fit use di pilot program for temporary visitors wey dia screening and vetting information no dey enof, or offer Citizenship by Investment, if di alien obtain citizenship wit no residency requirement”
“Consular officers fit require covered non-immigrant visa applicants to post bond of up to $15,000 as condition of visa issuance, as determined by di consular officers.”
According to figures published for 2023 by di US Department of Homeland Security, e show say about 14% of visitors from Malawi overstay dia visas, compared to 11% of Zambian visitors.
Meanwhile, oda kontris wit high overstay rates include Haiti (31%), Myanmar (27%) and Yemen (20%).
US $15,000 bond for tourist visas
Di United States bin kontinu to tighten dia migration policies wit many visa restriction and programmes.
Di new US migration program wey dem announce on Monday night, introduce bonds of up to $15,000 [N22, 868,850] for pipo wey wan travel to di US for business and tourist visas.
Many African countries dey affected.
E mean say pipo wey wan visit US go dey required to pay deposit bifor dem go get visa.
Di United States launch di pilot program wey fit require some travellers to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to enta di country.
According to di temporary final rule wey dem post for di Federal Register on Tuesday, part of di aim of di one year program na to catch visitors from oda countries wey dia history of overstaying dia visas dey high.
Wetin to know about di program
Di new program go start on August 20, 2025 and e go end on August 5, 2026.
Di program na for pipo wey wan travel for business, entertainment and enjoyment wey need di B-1 or B-2 visas to enta di US.
Pipo wey dey come from oda kontris wey also get high visa overstaying rates go dey affected.
E go also apply for situation wia screening and vetting information no dey enough or wey dey offer Citizenship by Investment witout a residency requirement.
Di United States neva mention di names of di countries wey go dey affected but di Department of State say dem go announce di list of countries 15 days before di program go start.
Di Department of State say dem dey expect around 2,000 pipo to post visa bonds wen di pilot program start, sake of di number of pipo wey dey qualified to obtain U.S. visas and “uncertainty” wey dey surround di number of pipo wey fit pay am.
How much be di bonds?
Di bonds get three levels, $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000.
Na di consular officers go decide di amount of bonds amounts wey di applicant go pay subject to guidelines.
Di amounts go dey based on di’ “personal circumstances,” of di travelers including dia reason for traveling, employment, income, skills and education.
Travelers wey need to pay visa bond must enta and depart di U.S. through specific ports of entry, wey di US go announce later.
Di US dey introduce dis program wit di main aim wey be to access di feasibility of processing and discharging bonds, wey govment bin don try to do but e hard dem.
E go also help to know weda bonds fit force visitors to comply wit dia visa terms.
According to di govment notice, dem also tok say di pilot program na “tool of diplomacy” wey go fit ginger foreign govments to reduce di rates wey dia citizens dey overstay and also improve dia travel screening and vetting processes.
Dis pilot program get more details pass di $250 “visa integrity fee” wey dem bin announce for July.
According to data, di number of pipo wey dey overstay dia visas no plenti.
According to di US Congressional Research Service, only 1%-2% of non-immigrant visitors dey overstay dia visas evri year from 2016 to 2022.
However, 42% of di estimate wey be 11 million pipo wey dey live for di U.S. illegally bin enta wit valid visas, but dem no gree go back.
For 2019, di Department of Homeland Security bin estimate say more dan 320,000 pipo bin overstay dia visas, even though e include travelers wey later comot from di kontri, na wetin State Department visa bond notice tok.
