Nigerians and other African applicants seeking US business and tourist visas will now be required to deposit up to $20,000 as a condition for entry, under a new policy aimed at curbing visa overstays.
The measure takes effect Monday, August 3, 2026, formalising a Visa Bond Programme first introduced on a pilot basis in August 2025.
US authorities said the policy responds to rising cases of visitors overstaying their authorised period, alongside gaps in data sharing and identity verification by some countries.
How the Bond Amount Is Determined
Under the policy, consular officers will assess each applicant and set a bond of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 based on factors including travel purpose, financial status, employment and ties to the applicant’s home country.
The bond will be refunded without interest once the visitor leaves the United States within the approved period and complies with visa conditions, but forfeited in cases of violation.
The US Department of State, which announced the policy, said it is backed by Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which directs federal agencies to strengthen immigration compliance mechanisms, including bond administration.
The programme targets countries with high overstay rates and weaknesses in information exchange, identity management and document security.
During the pilot phase, 50 countries were included, with qualified B-1/B-2 visa applicants required to pay up to $15,000 depending on consular evaluation.
The department said the pilot recorded a sharp decline in overstays, with fewer than 50 cases reported in the first 10 months, compared to 45,488 overstays from the same group of countries in 2024.
Pilot Cut Overstays but Sharply Reduced Visa Demand
However, the pilot also significantly reduced visa demand. Visa issuance for the affected countries dropped 83% between August 2025 and July 2026, as nearly half of about 20,000 applicants declined to pay the bond.
Total deposits during the pilot were estimated at $115 million.
Data from the US Department of Homeland Security show that countries outside the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) account for a higher share of overstays.
In 2024, there were 269,382 B-1/B-2 overstays among non-VWP countries, excluding Mexico and Canada, with an overstay rate of 2.06%, compared to 0.44% for VWP participants.
“The 2025 visa bond pilot… has provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond program is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders,” the department said.
Officials said the policy aims to encourage cooperation from foreign governments rather than punish individual applicants, noting that it is intended to push their nationals toward compliance with US immigration laws.
The maximum bond threshold will be reviewed every seven years starting October 1, 2027.
Separately, the US Mission in Nigeria warned visa applicants against submitting altered or AI-generated passport photographs.
“Your photo should be recent (taken within the past six months) and look like you. The TSA or CBP agent must be able to tell it’s you,” the mission said.
Countries listed under the policy include Algeria, Tunisia, Benin, Cabo Verde, CΓ΄te d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, Togo and SΓ£o TomΓ© and PrΓncipe, along with Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Gabon, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
