The Trump administration has added seven countries, including five in Africa, to the list of states whose citizens must post a bond of up to $15,000 to apply for entry into the United States, AP reports.
Currently, the list includes thirteen countries, all but two in Africa, making the process of obtaining a visa to the U.S. inaccessible for many.
Last week, the State Department added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan to the list. These updates took effect on January 1, according to a statement posted on the website travel.state.gov.
This is the latest initiative by the Trump administration aimed at tightening entry requirements to the U.S., specifically that citizens of all countries requiring a visa must undergo an in-person interview and provide information about their social media activity over the past years, as well as detailed information about previous trips and their family’s living conditions.
U.S. officials defend these requirements, which can range from $5,000 to $15,000, claiming they are effective in ensuring that citizens of targeted countries do not overstay their visas.
Posting a bond does not guarantee visa approval, but the amount will be refunded if the visa is denied or when the visa holder demonstrates compliance with the visa conditions.
The new countries subject to this requirement join Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, The Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia, which were added to the list in August and October of last year.
Leave a comment