US calls for as much as $15,000 visa bond for vacationers and enterprise vacationers from Zambia and Malawi

Tourists and enterprise vacationers from Zambia and Malawi should pay a deposit of as much as $15,000 when in search of a US visa, the State Department has introduced, in a transfer likened to a visa ban for the African nations, which rank among the many world’s poorest.

Payment of the visa bond, which goals to rein in visa overstays, “does not guarantee visa issuance,” the notice posted on Tuesday warned, stating that the price could be reimbursed if sure situations are met.

“The bond will be canceled and the bond money will be automatically returned in the following circumstances: The visa holder departs from the United States on or before the date to which he or she is authorized to remain in the United States; or the visa holder does not travel to the United States before the expiration of the visa; or the visa holder applies for and is denied admission at the U.S. port of entry.”

The Trump administration has aggressively clamped down on immigration and continues to tighten requirements for securing US visas.

The visa bond follows the deliberate introduction of a $250 “visa integrity fee” that overseas guests are required to pay, separate from their visa prices. The price can also be reimbursable if vacationers adjust to their visa situations.

The visa bonds goal guests from nations recognized as “having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement,” a separate discover published in the Federal Register said.

Why are Malawi and Zambia singled out?

Malawi, a rustic in Southeastern Africa, and its neighbor, Zambia, are the one nations slapped with the visa bond that begins August 20 for a 12-month pilot interval.

Neither nation has the highest visa overstay rates on the planet and even in Africa, in line with Homeland Security’s last published data. And neither was included amongst nations the US banned or imposed partial journey restrictions on in June for visa overstays or posing safety dangers.

In an e-mail to CNN Wednesday, a State Department spokesperson wouldn’t make clear why different nations, which had larger visa overstay charges, didn’t face the identical measure.

“According to the Department of Homeland Security’s most recent data, in addition to operational and other considerations, nationals of these countries who traveled to the United States on nonimmigrant visas exceeded their authorized period of admission at high rates, elevated overstay rates generally suggest a greater likelihood that nationals from these countries may fail to depart the United States as required or otherwise not comply with U.S. immigration laws,” the assertion mentioned.

Human rights lawyer, Habiba Osman, who heads Malawi’s Human Rights Commission, informed CNN that the imposition of the visa bond was “unfair” and “a serious financial burden” for real vacationers.

“The bond is inhumane for a country like Malawi,” added Osman, who makes frequent journeys to the US. “This move is punishing those who travel in good faith.”

Malawian authorities are but to publicly touch upon the matter. Zambia’s overseas minister, Mulambo Haimbe, informed CNN he would communicate after “internal consultation.”

Travel to the US may get tougher within the coming months for a lot of African nations. Seven from the continent had been banned two months in the past, and three others had been partially restricted.

A mooted growth of the journey restrictions would halt journey to the US for swathes of West Africa if applied.