Nigerians To Deposit $20,000 (N27m) Bond For US Visa

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Nigeria is among the list of 10 West African Countries whose citizens may be required to make a deposit of up to $20,000 (about N27m) before having their applications for visas processed by the US authorities.

The payment of the bond does not guarantee automatic approval of applications and  issuance of visas.

These were the fulcrum of new guidelines released by the United States of America’s Department of State which citizens of some countries within the West African subregion have to meet before having their visa applications considered.

According to the US, the essence of the payment of the bond is to ensure that applicants, when finally granted visas,  do not stay beyond the official period approved.

The bond which can be paid directly by the visa applicant, or through a third party including family members, relations, friends or business associates residing in or outside the USA, must be fully paid in dollars.

Similarly, the bond will equally be returned fully in dollars by the authorities in the event that the Department of Homeland Security attests that the  visa holder departed  the US on or before the expiry of the period granted.

The authorities are also expected to return the bond to the visa holder,and the third party , otherwise refered to as the “obligor” if the visa owner does not travel to the US before its expiry.

Additionally, the bond will also be cancelled, if the visa application is denied by the authorities.

However, any payments made without the approval and direction of a consular officer will not be refunded.

Consequently, authorities advised that applicants follow Bond terms which are clearly set out on the Department of Homeland Security’s Form 1-352 Immigration Bond .

According to the Department of State, the new visa rules which applies to applicants seeking short-term US Visas are targeted at preventing abuses, especially visa overstays.

Besides Nigeria, other West African countries captured by the visa bond policy which kicked off from January 21,2026 are Cote D’Ivoire ( Ivory Coast) ,the Gambia , Guinea-Bissau , Mauritania and Cabo Verde ( Cape Verde)

Others are Senegal, Ghana, Togo , Guinea and Benin Republic.

The affected countries are among those generally  classified by the US authorities as high-risk for overstaying their visas .