EXPLAINER: The US has imposed visa bonds on Nigeria. What does this mean?
EXPLAINER: The US has imposed visa bonds on Nigeria. What does this mean?
On Tuesday, the United States introduced a fresh round of travel restrictions targeting Nigerian travellers, including the requirement to post visa bonds of up to $15,000.
The measures are part of a broader tightening of US entry rules and are intended to ensure compliance with visa conditions.
The action comes a week after partial US travel restrictions on Nigeria took effect.
What are visa bonds and how will they work against Nigerian travellers? Here is everything you need to know.
WHAT ARE VISA BONDS?
Visa bonds are financial guarantees required by some countries from certain foreign nationals applying for temporary visas.
Owing to their often significant financial commitments, they ensure compliance with visa terms, particularly to prevent overstays.
SO THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO THE US?
No. Countries like Australia require security bonds for certain student or temporary visas, refundable upon compliance.
Canada mandates financial undertakings for some sponsored family visits, where guarantors cover potential costs if the visitor overstays.
WHAT DO THE US VISA BONDS ENTAIL?
The US visa bonds affect only applicants for the B1/B2 visitor visas (business or tourism).
Now, applicants eligible for the visa category must post a bond of up to $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, alongside a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-352. The bond amount is determined at the time of the visa interview.
DOES A BOND GUARANTEE VISA ISSUANCE?
No, a bond does not guarantee visa issuance. Also, applicants are only required to pay bonds at the direction of the consular officer.
ARE THE BONDS REFUNDABLE?
Yes. The bond will be cancelled and the money returned automatically if the DHS records the visa holder’s departure from the US on or before the date to which they are authorised to stay in the country, if the visa holder does not travel to the US before the expiration of their visa, or if the visa holder applies for and is denied admission at the US port of entry.
WHAT ARE THE PORTS OF ENTRY?
Under these new rules, only three airports are designated ports of entry for bond payers. They include the Boston Logan International Airport in Boston, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
Entry through an undesignated airport might lead to a denied entry or a departure that is not properly recorded.
ARE THERE BREACHES TO THE BONDS?
Yes. When a bond is paid, a breach can be recorded if DHS records indicate that the visa holder left the US or remains in the country after their authorised departure date, and if the visa holder applies to adjust nonimmigrant status, including claiming asylum.
IS THIS A NEW PROGRAMME?
Not really. The Donald Trump administration tried the visa bonds programme in 2020, but it was not fully implemented because of a decrease in global travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was later reintroduced in August 2025 but only applied to Malawi and Zambia at the time.
An expanded list was reintroduced this month to include 38 countries of which 24 were African — including Nigeria.
