Deposits to obtain visas could reach $15,000. CNN’s Larry Madowo breaks down what this means for tourists seeking to travel to the U.S.

Washington

The US government is introducing a new visa bond pilot program that will require citizens of Malawi and Zambia to pay a refundable deposit of up to $15,000 for B-1 and B-2 visitor visas. The amount, determined by the visa officer, will only be refunded if the visitor leaves the US within the permitted timeframe or is refused entry. 

The policy restricts entry and exit for these nationals to three specific US airports and is intended to address visa overstay rates. However, Malawi and Zambia do not have the highest overstay rates in Africa, and the high deposit is expected to be unaffordable for many applicants from these countries, which are among the world's poorest.

Visitors from Malawi, Zambia must soon pay deposits for visas

Now, the Trump administration will soon require citizens from two African nations, Zambia and Malawi, to pay up to $15,000 deposit for some visitor visas. It's part of the State Department's new visa bond pilot program that's meant to target countries with the highest visa overstay rates. CNN's Larry Maddow is covering this story for us from Lagos. And, Larry, rightly, this is getting quite a lot of attention because, you know, many people just can't pay this high fee. And that's why this is seen as effectively a visa ban imposed by the U.S. on these two southern African nations. The reality is that most people in Zambia and Malawi cannot afford to deposit $5,000, let alone $15,000 to get a U.S. visa. But that's what they will be required to do starting two weeks. That will be determined by the visa officer interviewing you if you go to apply for a visa in Zambia or Malawi or if you hold nationality anywhere else in the world. It could be $5,000 or $10,000 or $15,000. And it's only refundable if you leave the U.S. within the allocated time or your visa expires that you go into the U.S. or you refuse the entry into the U.S. And there's even more complications. These nationalities from Zambia and Malawi can only enter the U.S. using three airports, Boston-Logan, New York-JFK or Washington-Dallas. They have to enter and leave through one of these three airports. So you can see how this is an extra difficulty. Getting a U.S. visa as an African is already hard enough without all these extra bottlenecks that are being introduced. And the other thing is Zambia and Malawi don't even have the highest visa overstay rates in Africa, let alone in the world. But here's how the State Department is justifying adding these two countries. Beginning August 20th, nationals of Malawi and Zambia applying for B-1, B-2 business and tourist visas will be required to post a bond of up to $15,000. This targeted common sense measure reinforces the administration's commitment to U.S. immigration law while deterring visa overstays. These are some of the world's poorest nations. Malawi is the fourth poorest nation in the world. Most people leave below a dollar a day. They cannot afford that extra benefit and they come to the U.S. for tourism, for business. And many of them just cannot afford to do that right now, Christina. That's the reality. And that will be the effect of this extra regulation. Yeah, it does seem somewhat unjust. Larry Mideaux there from Lagos. Thanks, Larry.

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