The US government has introduced new travel restrictions requiring Nigerians applying for B1/B2 business and tourist visas to post bonds of up to $15,000 (around N22,000,000).
This is part of a broader policy targeting 38 countries, with 24 African nations affected, including Nigeria.
The bond amount, determined during the visa interview, can be $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000.
To apply, Nigerians must submit the Department of Homeland Security’s Form I-352 and agree to the bond terms through the US Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform.
The requirement applies regardless of the application location.
Visa holders who post bonds must enter the US through designated airports, including Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
Meanwhile, the bonds will only be refunded when the Department of Homeland Security records the visa holder’s departure from the United States on or before the expiration of their authorised stay, when the applicant does not travel before the visa expires, or when a traveller applies for and is denied admission at a US port of entry.
The development comes barely a week after the US government imposed partial travel restrictions on Nigeria.
On December 16, Nigeria was listed among 15 mostly African countries placed under partial travel suspensions.
In Nigeria’s case, the US cited the presence and operations of radical Islamic terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State, in parts of the country, resulting in what it described as “substantial screening and vetting difficulties.”
The US also cited Nigeria’s visa overstay rates — 5.56 per cent for B1/B2 visas and 11.90 per cent for F, M, and J visas — as justification for the restrictions.
As a result, the suspension covered immigrant visas as well as non-immigrant categories, including B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas.
