Nigeria not included in pilot program, says United States Mission

As per the administration, the pilot program is expected to run for six-month from December 24 to June 24, 2021, which will test the feasibility of the collection of these bonds.

The rumors that Nigerians are required to pay a bond of around $5,000 and $15,000 for visiting the United States was debunked by the United States Mission took on Twitter. The statement confirmed,“Nigeria is not included in this six months pilot program”.

The United States Mission in Nigeria can confirm that Nigeria is not currently part of the pilot visa bond program. Read more: https://t.co/lhdZRWGvt4 pic.twitter.com/dYq2KrGbdG— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USinNigeria) November 24, 2020

According to a new temporary rule by the United States, all the tourists and business travelers from 24 countries, largely from Africa are bound to pay a bond of around $15,000 to visit the US. The rule reportedly targets residents with higher rates of overstaying as such for tourists having B-2 visas and business travelers with B-1 visas.

Targeted mostly at African nations, the US Mission confirmed the news, after receiving resentment from Nigerians. As per the administration, the pilot program is expected to run for six-month from December 24 to June 24, 2021, which will test the feasibility of the collection of these bonds. 

As the statement by US Mission quotes:

"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.".