Malawi, Zambia become first nations in US pilot project requiring $15,000 visa bonds

President Donald Trump's administration will require visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi to pay bonds up to $15,000 for some tourist and business visas under a pilot programme launching in two weeks, the State Department said.

"This targeted common-sense measure reinforces the administration's commitment to US immigration law while deterring visa overstates," US State Department Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday.

"Starting August 20, 2025, any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond in amounts of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, determined at time of visa interview," the State Department said in a notice on its website.

A notice about the programme, which gives US consular officers worldwide the discretion to impose bonds on visitors from countries with high rates of visa overstays, appeared on the Federal Register on Monday, but no country names had been mentioned.

A State Department spokesperson on Monday said countries would be identified based on "high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations."

The spokesperson, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the list of countries may be updated from time to time.

The bond amount will be returned to the applicant if the applicant leaves the US within the allowed window of time in line with their visa and complies with all the terms of their visa status.

Crackdown on migrants

Trump has made cracking down on irregular immigration a focus of his presidency, boosting resources to secure the border and arresting people who are in the US illegally.

He issued a travel ban in June that fully or partially blocks citizens of 19 nations from entering the US on national security grounds.

Numerous countries in Africa, including Burundi, Djibouti and Togo, also had high overstay rates, according to US Customs and Border Protection data from fiscal year 2023.

Visa holders who have posted a visa bond must arrive and depart the United States via three specific ports of entry, the State Department notice said on Tuesday.

It listed those as Boston Logan Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Washington Dulles Airport.

It warned that if such travellers arrive or depart from anywhere else, they could be denied entry or their departure may not be appropriately registered.