US expands $15,000 visa bond requirement to Mozambique and 11 other countries

The US State Department on Wednesday said foreigners from an additional 12 countries — including Mozambique, Mauritius and Lesotho — would be required to pay a $15,000 deposit to receive some visas. The funds will be returned if the applicant complies with all visa terms. If the applicant remains in the United States past the deadline, the funds will be forfeited.

“Nearly 1,000 foreigners have been issued visas under the program, and 97 percent of bonded travellers have returned home from the United States on time,” a State Department’s fact sheet said. The new nations added to the program are: Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia. The 38 nations previously included are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central ⁠African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.