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It came days after the U.S. unveiled a pilot project requiring
citizens of two other African countries, Malawi and Zambia, to
pay a bond of up to $15,000 for tourist or business visas. The
bond will be forfeited if the applicant stays in the U.S. after
their visa expires.
The State Department said the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe would
pause all routine visa services starting Friday “while we
address concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe.”
The embassy described the measure as temporary and part of the
Trump administration's efforts to “prevent visa overstay and
misuse.” Most diplomatic and official visas would be exempt from
the pause, the U.S. said.
The U.S. has enforced new travel restrictions on citizens from
several African countries under President Donald Trump's broader
immigration enforcement policies.
In June, the U.S. put in place travel bans on citizens from 12
countries, seven of them in Africa. It applied heightened
restrictions on seven other nations, three of them African. The
U.S. has also demanded that 36 countries, the majority of them
in Africa, improve their vetting of travelers or face a ban on
their citizens visiting the United States.
Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia were all on that list of 36
countries asked to improve their citizens’ travel documentation
and take steps to address the status of their nationals who are
in the U.S. illegally.
“The Trump Administration is protecting our nation and our
citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security
and public safety through our visa process," the U.S. State
Department said Thursday.
The new bond policy announced Tuesday requires Malawians and
Zambians to pay bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or 15,000 as part of
their application for a tourist or business visa to the U.S.
Under the program, citizens of those countries must also arrive
and depart at one of three airports; Boston’s Logan
International Airport, New York's JFK International Airport or
Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C.
The visa bond pilot program will start on Aug. 20, the State
Department said.
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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed.
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