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According to a new directive from the State Department, citizens of other countries will be required to pay a bond of $15,000 before they can obtain B1 or B2 visas, which are intended for business and tourist trips to the USA.
The bond, which will be refunded to those who meet the visa conditions and return to their home country, will take effect for an additional 12 countries starting April 2.
The new list of countries included in the visa bond program comprises Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.
These countries now join 38 other nations that are already part of the visa bond program. Previously, the list included Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
