Africa-Press – Botswana. The Trump administration has expanded a controversial visa policy by adding seven more countries to a list that requires travellers to deposit a large refundable bond before applying to enter the United States.
Five of the newly added countries are in Africa, further increasing the number of African nations affected by the rule, as reported by the Associated Press.
With this expansion, citizens of 13 countries may now be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 as part of the US visa process. All but two of the countries on the list are in Africa, a concentration that has drawn attention to the financial burden placed on applicants from the region and raised concerns about the affordability of travel to the US.
The US State Department last week added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia and Turkmenistan to the list. The decision took effect on January 1, according to a notice published on the State Department’s travel website.
These countries join Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Gambia, Malawi and Zambia, which were brought under the bond requirement in August and October last year. The policy was introduced as part of a broader effort to tighten immigration controls and monitor short-term visitors more closely.
Under the rule, visa applicants from the listed nations may be asked to pay bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. US officials have defended the measure, saying it creates a financial incentive for visitors to comply with visa conditions and discourages overstays.
Officials have stressed that payment of the bond does not guarantee that a visa will be granted. The amount is refunded if an application is denied, or later returned once a visa holder demonstrates that they have complied with the terms of their stay, including leaving the United States on time.
The bond requirement is part of a wider tightening of US entry rules under the Trump administration. Other measures introduced in recent months include mandatory in-person interviews for visa applicants, detailed disclosures of applicants’ past travel and living arrangements, and the submission of years of social media history for scrutiny.
Together, these steps have made the visa application process more demanding and expensive, particularly for students, tourists and small business travellers from lower-income countries. For many prospective visitors, the bond alone represents a significant financial hurdle that must be cleared long before travel plans can be finalised.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
