The United States has rolled out new travel measures that may require Nigerians applying for B1/B2 visas to provide visa bonds of as much as $15,000.
Visa bonds are financial guarantees imposed by the US State Department on certain applicants from countries classified as high risk who are seeking B1/B2 visas for business or tourism purposes.
According to an updated list released by the State Department on Tuesday, African nations made up 24 of the 38 countries affected, with Nigeria included.
The policy will take effect on varying dates depending on the country, with Nigeria’s implementation scheduled for January 21.
“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 for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview,” the State Department notice reads.
“The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352. Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov. This requirement applies regardless of place of application.
“A bond does not guarantee visa issuance. If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, the fees will not be returned.”
Visa holders who are required to post bonds must also enter the United States through designated airports, including Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
The bond will only be refunded if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirms that the visa holder departed the US on or before the authorised date of stay, if the applicant does not travel before the visa expires, or if the traveller applies for entry and is denied admission at a US port of entry.
This development comes just one week after the United States imposed partial travel restrictions on Nigeria.
On December 16, Nigeria was listed among 15 mostly African countries — including Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon and The Gambia — placed under partial travel suspension by the US government.
In Nigeria’s case, the US government cited the activities of extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in certain regions of the country, which it said create “substantial screening and vetting difficulties”.
The US also referenced Nigeria’s overstay rates of 5.56 percent for B-1/B-2 visas and 11.90 percent for F, M and J visas as additional grounds for the decision.
Consequently, the travel suspension applies to both immigrant visas and several non-immigrant categories, including B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas.
The directive took effect on January 1.