The US State Department announced it is expanding its visa bond programme to include 12 additional nations, requiring applicants to post refundable deposits of up to $15,000.
Beginning 2 April, citizens of Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia must pay the bond when applying for visas.
The money is returned if the visa is denied or if recipients comply with its conditions.
With this change, travelers from 50 countries will fall under the policy, which was introduced by the Trump administration to curb visa overstays and limit unlawful migration. Applicants from countries with high overstay rates—many in Africa—must provide bonds of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, depending on individual circumstances and consular discretion.
According to the department, the program has already reduced overstays significantly, noting that nearly 97% of the roughly 1,000 individuals who posted bonds have honored their visa terms.
The 38 countries previously included are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The full list of countries is here.
