THE United States Department of State has added Zimbabwe and Venezuela, as well as 23 other countries to a list of nations whose citizens are required to pay a bond of up to US$15 000 for a visa effective January 21.
The revelation comes after last year’s partial travel and visa restriction imposed by the United States on Zimbabwean nationals, citing unusual high visa overstay rates and a weakness in co-operating with immigration enforcement.
Other countries placed under the visa bond requirement are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda and Vanuatu.
They join a list of countries that includes Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Zambia.
In a statement, the US Department of State said the bonds were designed to deter visitors from overstaying their visas for tourism or business, citing a 2024 DHS fiscal report that analysed estimated overstay rates by country.
“Any citizen or national travelling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for US$5 000, US$10 000 or US$15 000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview,” the statement read.
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“The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352. Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the Department of Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov.”
“This requirement applies regardless of place of application. A bond does not guarantee visa issuance. If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, the fees will not be returned.”
The statement also noted that the bonds, which range from
US$5 000 to US$15 000, are seen as an effective measure to prevent citizens of the targeted countries from overstaying their visas, with the bond amount determined during visa interview.
“Visa bond requirements are outlined in INA section 221(g)(3) and the Temporary Final Rule (TFR) establishing the pilot programme. Visa overstay rates are based on the B1/B2 overstay rates per the Department of Homeland Security’s Entry/Exit Overstay Report,” the statement added.