The US Embassy said in Abuja today 24 November 2020 that Nigeria is not included in the new US visa bond rule.
The new Trump rule require some African tourists to pay up to $15,000 in bonds to be given a visa.
The rule specifically targets countries whose nationals are fond of over staying their immigration approvals.
There were speculations that Nigeria is among a dozen countries in the band, following a Reuters report on the issue.
The Embassy statement is quoted in full below:
“In response to the April 2019 Presidential Memorandum on Combating High Nonimmigrant Overstay Rates, the Department and our embassies and consulates overseas conducted an in-depth analysis to identify and address root causes of overstays.
“Among other efforts to address this challenge, the State Department is considering additional steps to address overstays, including piloting a limited visa bonds program to test, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the operational feasibility of posting, processing, and discharging visa bonds as means to ensure the timely departure from the United States of certain travelers.
“Accordingly, the State Department will begin a limited six-month visa bond pilot program beginning on December 24, 2020.
“We are committed to combating visa overstays and making sure travelers to the United States respect our laws.
“The implementation of this pilot builds on our engagement with foreign governments in recent years and will ensure continued progress to reduce overstay rates.
“Nigeria is not included in this six months pilot program.“
For a full statement on the new US visa bond rule, click here.
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