United States President Donald Trump has imposed restrictions on citizens from Uganda and Burundi seeking to travel to the U.S. in the latest round of travel rules.
In an updated visa bond list released on Tuesday, January 6, the U.S. Department of State added the two states to a list of 38 countries requiring visa bonds, effective January 21, 2026.
Visa applicants from the newly listed countries will be required to pay a security bond ranging from about Ksh645,000 to Ksh1.2 million, and up to Ksh1.9 million for certain visa categories. According to Trump, the specific amount will be set during the visa interview.
The Trump administration's guidelines and charges seek to combat visa overstays and prevent visitors from becoming undocumented.
According to U.S. data, Burundi has the highest U.S. B1/B2 visa overstay rate, which is over 15 per cent. Ugandans, on the other hand, have an overstay rate of 8.42 per cent on the same visas.
This increasing rate, especially among African countries, led to a presidential proclamation suspending and implementing stricter visa measures, such as bonds, for African nationals.
The move comes weeks after Trump imposed the same measures on Tanzania, among other countries, citing a high overstay rate as a key concern.
Uganda and Burundi have now joined Tanzania, which was already on the list, as the three East African countries have been added to the U.S. visa bond list, effective January 21, 2026.
A visa bond is a refundable security deposit that the U.S., among other countries, requires from temporary visa applicants from specific nations with high visa overstays, in an effort to ensure they follow the set visa rules.
However, the Trump administration warns that the bond does not guarantee issuance of a visa in cases where applicants pay the fees without directions from a designated office.
Other African countries now on Trump's radar include Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
At the same time, the USA enforced complete travel bans on nationals of South Sudan, Syria, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, signalling a broader crackdown on immigration.
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