As of August 20, 2025, the United States will have a new requirement setting a condition of a visa bond on the citizens of Malawi and Zambia who wish to obtain a B1 (business) or a B2 (tourism) visa. Announced by the US Department of State, this policy stipulates that those applicants who qualify are needed to post a refundable financial bond of between 5,000 and 15,000 dollars.
The bond will discourage visa over stays, an issue also in the FY 2023 Overstay Report released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where high rates of overstays were reported by these countries. Although this is seen as a means of enforcing immigration laws in the US, critics claim this has burdened the genuine travelers, which may touch on the tourism industry and the diplomatic relations.
What is Visa Bond?
A visa bond is a monetary-like deposit that some travelers are required to provide to make them adhere to the rules governing the US visa. It serves as a barrier to overstaying which is whereby visitors stay longer in the US than stipulated.
The bond amount is determined by the US consular officers in the process of conducting the interview during the issuance of the visa and can consist of a figure of 5,000 dollar, 10,000 dollar or 15,000 dollar depending on several factors such as the purpose of traveling, employment, income and education of the applicant. The bond can be taken back in case a traveler follows the terms of the visa e.g. exiting the US in time.
Who Is Vulnerable?
The regulation is currently applied to Malawi citizens and nationals who apply to the B1/B2 visa as well as Zambian citizens and nationals irrespective of where they submit their application.
The 2023 Overstay Report by DHS shows the 2023 data that included in the list of the countries targeted by this pilot program are Malawi with an overstay rate at 14.3 percent (234 people) and Zambia with an overstay rate at 11.1 percent (365 people).
Additional countries with substantial overstay rates e.g. Haiti (31%) or Myanmar (27%) can be inserted later, since the list can be modified according to new foundations or policies.
Visa Bond Payment
The consular officer will advise the applicants who are eligible to have a B1/B2 visa to proceed with the payment of the bond which will be done using Pay.gov at the US Treasury department.
They are also required to fill Form I-352 that reflects the terms offered on the bond. The State Department also stresses the fact that the money should not be used to pay unless a consular officer instructs one to do so, since unauthorized payments through the use of the third party websites are not eligible to be refunded, even in cases when the visa is rejected.
Ports of Entry Designated
Any traveler issuing a visa bond is required to enter and leave US through one of three airports; Chicago, Detroit and Newark. Additional ports include Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Washington Dulles International (IAD).
Resorting to other ports of entry can leave a person without an entry or cause problems with departure records which would lead to bond forfeit. This limitation introduces logistical complications, because the travelers might have to change flight itineraries, which makes them more expensive and complicated.
Terms of Bond Return
The bond is refundable in full under the conditions: the traveler leaves the US on no later than the approved date, the traveler does not make the journey to the US until when the visa is expired, or access to the US port of entry is restricted by the granting of entry to the traveler.
But the traveler will lose the bond by breaching the following: overlays his or her approved visa, stays in the US and does not leave, or perpetrators seeking to change their status like asylum or green card.
Bond breaches are determined by the DHS and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services the agency to call in for forfeiture.
Government Reactions
The policy has been raised as a concern by the governments of Malawi and Zambia. The Foreign Minister of Zambia Mulambo Haimbe told BBC that the government is consulting with their US counterparts in relation to the impacts of the rule and how to deal with it.
Human rights lawyer Habiba Osman, leader of the Malawi Human Rights Commission, denounced it as unfair and inhumane and said it would create a heavy financial burden on the legitimate travellers specially in a country facing a difficult economic situation.
Expert Opinions, Public Opinions
Although there were not many particular opinions expressed by the immigration lawyers, general analysis shows the possible effect of the policy. The bond scheme was billed by critics as a sort of a legalized shakedown as described by Al Jazeera which benefits at the expanse of unfortunate and helpless travellers.
According to the travel experts quoted by Tribune Online, it can dis-incentivize tourism and business trips to and fro Malawi and Zambia, both troubled economically. Its advocates, such as the US government, especially its department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce, posit that it is a rational move to prevent overstays and guarantee the compliance to immigration laws.
Wider Immigration Picture
This is a visa bond policy that is consistent to the intention of the administration of President Donald Trump on illegal immigration reduction. Such recent action as the ban of travel by nationals of 12 countries and the increase in the border enforcement funding.
Bond program is an option that was introduced in the first term of Trump and is aimed at high overstaying countries, countries with poor screening systems, or even concerns with foreign policies. According to the 2023 DHS report there were 565,155 overall overstays and 1.45 percent of non-immigrant entries, implying that 98.55 percent of visitors were entering the country in accordance with their visas.
Effect to Travel and Tourism
The visa bond can probably limit travel to the US of Malawi and Zambians people since the associated costs of 5,000 to 15,000 may be prohibitive to many of them including families, students and small businesses owners.
According to the Washington Post, the accretive cost (e.g. at least 10000 dollars each adult and 5000 dollars each child) may be especially taxing to the families. The limit of using three ports of entry can also make travel more costly and much more complex in itinerary making it less likely to attract buyers.
The cost implications of the decrease in travel are that it may affect the US businesses that depend on international tourism, among which are hotels and airlines.
Future Outlook
This visa bond program is a 12-month pilot that commenced August 20, 2025, and will last up to August 5, 2026. The US will assess its success in the event of curbing overstays and can increase or alter the list of the countries in jeopardy.
One can add other African countries such as Burundi, Djibouti and Togo, which similarly have high overstays. Tourists who are in Malawi and Zambia will be required to stay informed through the US embassy or immigration analysts.
Final Words
The US visa bond condition of Malawi and Zambia travelers is also a big stride of immigration enforcement as it circumnavigates forces to mitigate visa overstayers, however, it is questioned over fairness and accessibility.
Although it can successfully achieve its such goal of enforcement compliance, there is also a risk it discourages legal travelers and will have an impact on the US-Africa relationship. By the way, the pilot program is expected to point to the great events of future policies and travel costs rather than global relations.