The United States will now require citizens of Malawi and Zambia to post a bond of up to $15,000 when applying for business or tourist visas, the State Department announced on Tuesday.
The measure, set to take effect on August 20, is part of a one-year pilot program aimed at addressing visa overstays—a key issue in the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown.
According to the State Department, the bond will be fully refundable if travelers adhere to the terms of their visa and return to their home countries on time. However, failure to do so will result in the forfeiture of the funds.
“This targeted, common sense measure reinforces the administration’s commitment to US immigration law while deterring visa overstays,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.
Although the policy was initially announced on Monday, the affected countries were not disclosed until Tuesday. Malawi and Zambia—both landlocked nations in southern Africa—see only a modest number of their citizens traveling to the U.S. each year.
US officials have described the bond requirement as “a key pillar of the Trump Administration’s foreign policy to protect the United States from the clear national security threat posed by visa overstays.”
The move is the latest in a series of tightened visa restrictions introduced by President Donald Trump, with a particular focus on African nations, as part of his broader push against immigration.
