Nigerians applying for United States business and tourist visas will now be required to deposit as much as $20,000 as a guarantee that they will leave the country before their authorised stay expires under a new immigration enforcement policy introduced by the US government.
The new rule, which takes effect on Monday, August 3, 2026, establishes a permanent Visa Bond Programme after a pilot scheme launched in August 2025, which US authorities say significantly reduced visa overstays.
According to the US government, the policy targets countries with high visa overstay rates and concerns over information sharing, identity management and document security.
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Under the programme, consular officers will determine whether an applicant must pay a refundable bond of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, depending on factors such as the purpose of travel, financial circumstances, employment history and the applicant’s ties to their home country.
The bond will be refunded, without interest, once the visitor leaves the United States within the period authorised under the visa and complies with all immigration conditions.
However, applicants who overstay their visas or violate immigration rules risk forfeiting the entire amount.
The US Department of State said the programme is backed by Executive Order 14159, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which directs federal agencies to strengthen immigration compliance and improve the administration of visa bonds.
Officials said the decision followed what they described as growing concerns over visitors remaining in the United States beyond the validity of their visas, as well as inadequate cooperation from some countries in verifying identities and sharing immigration-related information.
The State Department said the 2025 pilot programme proved highly effective.
According to the agency, visa overstays among applicants covered by the pilot dropped dramatically, with fewer than 50 overstay cases recorded during the first 10 months, compared with 45,488 overstays from the same group of countries in 2024.
The programme, however, also resulted in a sharp decline in visa demand.
US officials said visa issuance to affected countries fell by 83 per cent between August 2025 and July 2026 after nearly half of about 20,000 applicants declined to pay the required bond.
The pilot reportedly generated approximately $115 million in refundable visa bond deposits.
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The Department of Homeland Security said non-Visa Waiver Programme countries account for a significantly higher proportion of visitor visa overstays.
In 2024 alone, authorities recorded 269,382 B-1/B-2 visa overstays among non-Visa Waiver Programme countries, excluding Mexico and Canada, representing an overstay rate of 2.06 per cent, compared with 0.44 per cent for Visa Waiver Programme countries.
US authorities insisted the programme is designed to improve compliance with immigration laws rather than punish travellers.
“This Programme… is intended to encourage foreign governments to take immediate action to reduce overstay rates by encouraging their nationals to comply with US immigration laws,” the State Department said.
The department also disclosed that the maximum visa bond amount will be reviewed every seven years to account for inflation, beginning on October 1, 2027.
Meanwhile, the US Mission in Nigeria has warned visa applicants against submitting altered or AI-generated passport photographs.
In an advisory, the mission said photographs must be recent, authentic and capable of accurately identifying the applicant.
“Your photo should be recent (taken within the past six months) and look like you. The TSA or CBP agent must be able to tell it’s you,” the mission said.
