U.S. Visa and Travel Policy

The U.S. State Department has announced that, effective April 2, 2026, citizens of 12 additional countries must post bonds of up to $15,000 as a condition for applying for certain U.S. visas, expanding a Trump‑era overstay crackdown. The new countries are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia, bringing the total number of affected nations to 50, many of them in Africa. Under the program, consular officers can require applicants from designated high‑overstay countries to post refundable bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, which are returned if the visa is denied or, if issued, the holder complies with its terms. The State Department claims the bond requirement has been "effective" at reducing overstays, saying nearly 97% of roughly 1,000 people who have posted bonds so far have not remained in the U.S. illegally. The expansion underscores the administration’s continued use of financial barriers to deter visa overstays and illegal migration, a strategy that critics online argue falls hardest on poorer travelers and family visitors from targeted countries while leaving broader structural visa backlogs untouched.