The United States has made permanent its visa bond programme, requiring applicants from Nigeria and 49 other countries to post bonds of up to $20,000 before they can be issued visitor visas.
The new rule, announced by the US State Department, will take effect on August 3, when it is published in the Federal Register.
Under the policy, consular officers may require applicants for B1 (business) and B2 (tourism) visas from the affected countries to post a refundable bond as a condition for visa issuance.
According to the notice, “Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers.”
The State Department said the decision follows a 2025 pilot programme, which it said demonstrated that visa bonds are an effective way to ensure compliance with US immigration rules.
“The 2025 visa bond pilot, which provided a framework for the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury to assess the feasibility of administering a visa bond programme, has provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond programme is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders,” the notice stated.
During the pilot phase, consular officers could require bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000.
Under the permanent rule, the $5,000 option has been removed, while the maximum bond has been increased to $20,000.
The programme applies to citizens of 50 countries, including 30 African nations, with Nigeria among those affected.
US authorities said the policy is intended to reduce the number of visitors who overstay their visas.
However, immigration advocates have criticised the measure, arguing that it could discourage legitimate travellers from visiting the United States and further restrict legal immigration.
The visa bond policy is one of several immigration measures introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration, which has also imposed higher visa fees and expanded social media screening for visa applicants.
See full list of countries subject to the US visa bond programme below:
Afghanistan
Angola
Bhutan
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Chad
Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
The Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti
Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)
Laos
Liberia
Libya
Malawi
Mauritania
Myanmar
Nigeria
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Tuvalu
Uganda
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Benin
Mali
Credit: newspeakonline.com
