Tourists and business travelers from Zambia and Malawi must pay a deposit of up to $15,000 when seeking a US visa, the State Department has announced, in a move likened to a visa ban for the African nations, which rank among the world’s poorest.
Payment of the visa bond, which aims to rein in visa overstays, “does not guarantee visa issuance,” the notice posted on Tuesday warned, stating that the fee would be reimbursed if certain conditions are met.
“The bond will be canceled and the bond money will be automatically returned in the following circumstances: The visa holder departs from the United States on or before the date to which he or she is authorized to remain in the United States; or the visa holder does not travel to the United States before the expiration of the visa; or the visa holder applies for and is denied admission at the U.S. port of entry.”
The Trump administration has aggressively clamped down on immigration and continues to tighten requirements for securing US visas.
The visa bond follows the planned introduction of a $250 “visa integrity fee” that foreign visitors are required to pay, separate from their visa costs. The fee is also reimbursable if travelers comply with their visa conditions.
The visa bonds target visitors from countries identified as “having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement,” a separate notice published in the Federal Register stated.
Why are Malawi and Zambia singled out?
Malawi, a country in Southeastern Africa, and its neighbor, Zambia, are the only nations slapped with the visa bond that starts August 20 for a 12-month pilot period.
Neither country has the highest visa overstay rates in the world or even in Africa, according to Homeland Security’s last published data. And neither was included among countries the US banned or imposed partial travel restrictions on in June for visa overstays or posing security risks.
In an email to CNN Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson would not clarify why other countries, which had higher visa overstay rates, did not face the same measure.
“According to the Department of Homeland Security’s most recent data, in addition to operational and other considerations, nationals of these countries who traveled to the United States on nonimmigrant visas exceeded their authorized period of admission at high rates, elevated overstay rates generally suggest a greater likelihood that nationals from these countries may fail to depart the United States as required or otherwise not comply with U.S. immigration laws,” the statement said.
Human rights lawyer, Habiba Osman, who heads Malawi’s Human Rights Commission, told CNN that the imposition of the visa bond was “unfair” and “a serious financial burden” for genuine travelers.
“The bond is inhumane for a country like Malawi,” added Osman, who makes frequent trips to the US. “This move is punishing those who travel in good faith.”
Malawian authorities are yet to publicly comment on the matter. Zambia’s foreign minister, Mulambo Haimbe, told CNN he would speak after “internal consultation.”
Travel to the US could get harder in the coming months for many African nations. Seven from the continent were banned two months ago, and three others were partially restricted.
A mooted expansion of the travel restrictions would halt travel to the US for swathes of West Africa if implemented.
