Tourists and business travelers from Zambia and Malawi must pay deposits of up to $15,000 when seeking US visas, the State Department has announced in a move that compares them to the visa ban in African countries, the poorest in the world.
A notice posted Tuesday warned that payments on Visa bonds intended for Visa tenure “does not guarantee the issuance of a visa,” and said that fees will be refunded if certain conditions are met.
“The bond will be cancelled and the bond will be automatically returned under the following circumstances: Visa holders will depart from the United States on or before they are permitted to remain in the United States.
The Trump administration is actively cracking down on immigrants and continuing to tighten requirements to secure US visas.
Visa bonds follow the planned implementation of a $250 “visa integrity fee” that foreign visitors must pay separately from the costs of the visa. Additionally, fees are refundable if travelers comply with the visa conditions.
Visa bonds target visitors from countries identified as having a high visa overstay rate. “If screening and screening information is deemed lacking, or if citizenship is provided on a per investment basis, another notice has been stated that was released in the federal register if the foreign national acquires citizenship without a residence requirement.
Why are Malawi and Zambia elected?
Malawi, a country in southeastern Africa, and its neighbor, Zambia, is the only country to be slapped with visa bonds that begin on August 20th over a 12-month pilot period.
Neither country has the highest visa overstay rate in the world or Africa, according to Homeland Security’s Last published data. It was also not included in the countries that banned or imposed partial travel restrictions in June to pose Visa luxury and security risks.
In an email to CNN on Wednesday, a State Department spokesman did not clarify why other countries with high visa overstay rates were not facing the same measures.
“Along with operational and other considerations, citizens of these countries who traveled to the US on non-immigrant visas were faster than their certified admission periods, according to the latest Department of Homeland Security data.
Habiba Osman, a human rights lawyer who heads Malawi’s Human Rights Commission, told CNN that the levy on visas is “unfair” and “serious financial burden” for real travelers.
“Bonds are inhumane for a country like Malawi,” added Osman, who travels frequently to the US. “The move is to punish those who travel in good faith.”
Malawia authorities have not yet commented publicly on the issue. Zambia’s foreign minister Mrambo Haimbe told CNN he would talk after “internal consultations.”
Traveling to the US could become more difficult for many African countries in the coming months. Seven people from the continent were banned two months ago, while the other three were partially restricted.
An expanded expansion of travel restrictions would halt travel to the US due to the West African belt if implemented.
