Zambia has raised “serious concern” over a new U.S. rule that will require some applicants to post refundable visa bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, saying the measure will impose “unnecessary financial strain” and risk dampening trade, investment, tourism, and people-to-people links.
Beginning Aug. 20, President Donald Trump’s administration will apply the pilot scheme to countries with high overstay rates, including Zambia and neighboring Malawi, for certain tourist and business visas.
“While the U.S. government has the prerogative to adjust policy, the Zambian government views this development with serious concern,” Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe said, warning of its economic fallout and the cost to ordinary citizens.
The bond is refundable if travelers depart within their authorized stay and comply with visa terms. But with average household income near $150 a month in Zambia, critics say the sums are prohibitive.
“For most Zambians, this bond is not just unaffordable, it’s laughable,” former diplomat and analyst Anthony Mukwita wrote on Facebook. “It could drill a borehole and bring clean water to an entire village—yet it’s being used to buy a chance at an American dream.”
In Malawi, Foreign Minister Nancy Tembo met U.S. embassy officials on Thursday to relay concerns about the policy’s impact on law-abiding travelers and broader bilateral relations, the ministry said.
The visa-bond move comes amid a wider U.S. crackdown on illegal immigration, including tighter border enforcement and arrests of people in the country without authorization.