US Rolls Out Visa Bond Pilot for Malawi and Zambia Travelers
Pilot from August 20 requires refundable bonds of $5,000 to $15,000 for business and tourist visas
The US Department of State will launch a twelve‑month visa bond pilot program on August twentieth, 2025, aimed at visitors from Malawi and Zambia applying for business (B‑1) or tourist (B‑2) visas.
Under the pilot, consular officers may require bond payments of five thousand, ten thousand or fifteen thousand dollars at the time of visa application .
The bond amount will be determined during the visa interview based on factors including visa overstay rates and vetting concerns.
The bond is refundable provided the traveler departs the United States within the authorised period and complies with all visa conditions .
Zambia and Malawi were selected under the pilot due to visa overstay statistics, with approximately eleven percent of Zambian and fourteen percent of Malawian non‑immigrant visitors reportedly overstaying in fiscal year 2023 .
Participants must enter and exit the United States via specified ports — Boston Logan, JFK New York, or Washington Dulles airports — and failure to comply may result in entry denials or misregistration of departure data .
Countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, including most European nations, Australia, Israel and others, are exempt from the requirement .
The pilot is projected to affect around two thousand applicants and generate up to twenty million dollars in posted bonds if average bond amounts reach ten thousand dollars per traveler .
The administration formalised the initiative as part of broader immigration enforcement measures introduced following a presidential executive order issued in January 2025 that directed federal agencies to establish visa bond systems .
Under the pilot, consular officers may require bond payments of five thousand, ten thousand or fifteen thousand dollars at the time of visa application .
The bond amount will be determined during the visa interview based on factors including visa overstay rates and vetting concerns.
The bond is refundable provided the traveler departs the United States within the authorised period and complies with all visa conditions .
Zambia and Malawi were selected under the pilot due to visa overstay statistics, with approximately eleven percent of Zambian and fourteen percent of Malawian non‑immigrant visitors reportedly overstaying in fiscal year 2023 .
Participants must enter and exit the United States via specified ports — Boston Logan, JFK New York, or Washington Dulles airports — and failure to comply may result in entry denials or misregistration of departure data .
Countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, including most European nations, Australia, Israel and others, are exempt from the requirement .
The pilot is projected to affect around two thousand applicants and generate up to twenty million dollars in posted bonds if average bond amounts reach ten thousand dollars per traveler .
The administration formalised the initiative as part of broader immigration enforcement measures introduced following a presidential executive order issued in January 2025 that directed federal agencies to establish visa bond systems .
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