The expanded list, published on the US State Department’s travel advisory site, will take effect on January 21 this year.
Payment does not guarantee a visa, but it is refunded if the application is denied or if a successful applicant complies with visa terms.
Officials say the requirement aims to discourage overstays while ensuring applicants return home when their visas expire.
Critics contend the scale of the sums involved creates financial barriers that will put travel, business trips, and cultural exchanges out of reach for many families and entrepreneurs in the affected regions.
The newly added countries include Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. They join earlier additions such as Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, and Zambia.
For many applicants, the change raises questions about the affordability of travel to the United States.
A $15,000 visa bond is a high cost in countries where average incomes are far lower than in the United States, and advocates say this could dramatically reduce the number of successful applications from smaller economies and communities with limited resources.
Observers also note that posting a bond may complicate travel planning and financial arrangements for students, visitors, and business professionals seeking short-term stays.
The move forms part of a broader tightening of US visa policies, which already include mandatory in-person interviews and more extensive scrutiny of applicants’ social media histories and travel records.
