Trump Adds Ethiopia Among 6 Countries to Pay Ksh 1.9M Visa Bond

The U.S. has added Ethiopia, among six other African countries, to a list that requires visa applicants to post bonds of as much as Ksh1.9 million (15,000 USD) to gain entry into the U.S.

The other six African countries added to the list are Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Seychelles and Tunisia. The six countries form a list of 12 countries added to the bond list on Wednesday, March 18.

This expansion marks the latest move by the Trump administration to restrict immigration into the U.S. from largely non-Western nations.

Cambodia, Georgia, Grenada, Mongolia, Nicaragua, and Papua New Guinea are the other countries added to the list by the United States Department of State.

According to the State Department, the U.S. will begin enforcing the Visa Bond Pilot for these countries on April 2.

“Citizens from 12 additional nations must post bonds up to $15,000 starting April 2 as the Trump administration targets visa overstays,” the White House said in a statement on Thursday.

With the latest additions, Trump has now imposed the bond, which his administration claims is for reducing visa overstays to 30 African countries.

The Visa Bond Pilot programme requires certain B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourist) visa applicants to pay a refundable bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, with the exact amount determined by a consular officer during the interview.

Paying the bond does not ensure that a visa will be approved. If the visa is denied, if the traveller does not enter the United States, or if they fully comply with the visa conditions, the bond will be refunded.

“The visa bond programme has already proven effective at drastically reducing the number of visa recipients who overstay their visas and unlawfully remain in the United States,” the State Department said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department reported that an estimated 1,000 visas have been issued under the bond programme and that 97 per cent of recipients left the U.S. within the visa validity period.

Kenya is not on the list of countries that require the $15,000 visa bond. However, the new U.S. visa regulations, effective late 2025, have increased costs for Kenyan applicants, including a $250 (Ksh32,205 in the current rates) “Visa Integrity Fee” for tourist and student visas, a $1(Ksh130)  fee for the Green Card lottery, and a $100,000 (Ksh12.9 million) fee for specific H-1B petitions.

Enhanced vetting now requires disclosing five years of social media history on the DS-160 form.

Despite broader immigration freezes affecting 75 nations, including neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania, Kenya has been spared, allowing immigration processes to continue.