US Visa: Ghanaians Could End Up Paying $15,000 Deposit for Certain Visas
- The US could soon require foreign nationals from certain countries to pay a $15,000 deposit
- The US has taken several steps to stem illegal immigration since Donald Trump became president
- Ghana is currently noted as one of the African countries with high visa overstay rates in the US
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The US is considering requiring foreign nationals from certain countries to pay a $15,000 deposit for a tourist or business visa.
A special 12-month pilot programme aims to curb visa overstays.
Source: Getty Images
The deposit would also come into play where screening and vetting information is considered unsatisfactory, according to a notice published by the US State Department.
The notice did not specify which countries are covered by the pilot programme.
"Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program.
"Consular officers may require covered non-immigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers."
The BBC reported that the US has taken several steps to further President Donald Trump's agenda of stemming illegal immigration.
Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term to this effect.
Ghanaians to pay more for US visa
Ghanaians and other persons planning to travel to the US on non-immigrant visas have to pay an additional $250 as part of a new policy introduced by the Trump administration.
The new visa integrity fee is part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, and takes effect during the US' 2025 fiscal year from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025.
The fee will apply to all non-immigrant visa holders, including tourists, students, and temporary workers from Ghana and other countries that do not qualify for the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme.
Ghanaians flagged for overstaying US visas
Ghana has already been noted as one of the African countries with high visa overstay rates in the US.
These findings were outlined in a United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Fiscal Year 2023 Entry/Exit Overstay Report.
Source: Getty Images
The report noted that Ghanaian travellers admitted for business or pleasure on B1/B2 visas recorded a 7.50% total overstay rate.
This amounted to 1,910 total overstays out of 25,454 expected departures. Of these overstays, 1,850 were in-country, reflecting a 7.27% overstay rate.
Ghanaian students studying in US increase
YEN.com.gh reported that the number of Ghanaian students studying in the US rose by 45% for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Ghana was ranked number 18 among countries with students pursuing higher education in the US, marking the second year in a row the country ranked among the top 25 countries globally sending students to America.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
