The expansion nearly tripled the size of a program that U.S. officials say is designed to prevent visa overstays, and came less than a week after a previous round of additions brought the list to 13 countries. The Associated Press reported the bonds make the U.S. visa process unaffordable for many citizens of the targeted nations.
The State Department on Tuesday added 25 more countries to its visa bond list, bringing the total to 38 nations whose passport holders must post financial guarantees of up to $15,000 to apply for entry to the United States, according to a notice posted on the agency’s travel.state.gov website.
The bond requirement for the 25 newly added countries takes effect Jan. 21. Bonds range from $5,000 to $15,000. Payment does not guarantee that a visa will be granted; the amount is refunded if a visa is denied or when a visa holder demonstrates compliance with the terms of the visa.
The expansion came less than a week after the State Department added seven countries to the list, bringing the total at that time to 13. Tuesday’s additions nearly tripled the program’s reach. Most of the 38 countries now subject to the requirement are in Africa, with others in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Newly added countries
The 25 countries added Tuesday 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, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
They join 13 countries already subject to the requirement: Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Zambia.
Broader entry requirements
U.S. officials have said the bonds are effective in ensuring that citizens of targeted countries do not overstay their visas.
The visa bond program is one of several entry requirements the Trump administration has tightened. Citizens from all countries subject to visa requirements must now sit for in-person interviews and disclose years of social media histories, as well as detailed accounts of their and their families’ previous travel and living arrangements, according to the Associated Press.