Currently, thirteen countries are on this list, primarily from Africa, making the visa application process prohibitively expensive for many.
The State Department quietly included Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan to the list last week. These changes took effect on January 1, as noted on the travel.state.gov website.
This marks the latest move by the Trump administration to impose stricter entry requirements for the US, which include mandatory in-person interviews for citizens of all visa-required nations and the disclosure of years of social media activity, along with detailed descriptions of their and their families’ prior travel and living situations.
US officials have justified the bond requirements, which can range from USD 5,000 to USD 15,000, arguing they are effective in preventing overstays by citizens of targeted countries.
While payment of the bond does not ensure a visa will be issued, the amount will be refunded if the visa application is denied or when the visa holder proves compliance with visa conditions.
The newly included countries now join Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia, which were added to the list in August and October of the previous year.
