Lilongwe, โMalawi – A new $15,000 visa bondโ requirement imposed by the United States is effectively barringโข many Malawiansโฃ from pursuing educational and economic opportunities in the โUS, sparking widespread frustration โคand accusationsโฃ of discrimination. theโค policy, enacted earlier this year, requires most Malawian applicants for B-1/B-2 temporary visitor visas to post โthe bond, intended to ensure โtheyโ return homeโ after their visit. Critics โคcall it a “de factoโฃ ban” disproportionately impacting citizens of one of the โฃworld’s poorest nations.
Abraham Samson,a Malawian student who applied โfor USโ scholarships โprior to the bond’s announcement,expressed despair. “This move โhas shattered the plans most Malawians had to travel,” he said. “With our economy, not everyone can manage this. For thoseโ of โขus chasing further studies, these dreams are now a mirage.” samson has ceasedโข checking his emailโข for scholarship notifications, believing the financial burden of studying in the US is โฃnow insurmountable.
The bond adds to existing hurdles forโ Malawian applicants, who already face scrutinyโค under Section 214(b) of US immigration law, which presumes intent to immigrate unless applicants demonstrate strong ties to their home country. the โขnew requirement demands proof of both return intent and access to considerable wealth.
The impact extends beyond students.โ A Lilongwe-based businessman, who requested anonymity,โ stated theโ bond has disrupted his ability toโฃ source electronics directly from US suppliers, forcing him โฃto rely on more expensive middlemen. “Every delay eats away at my margins,” he said. “My six employees rely on me.If I can’t travel, I may have to send them home.”
Civil society groups are mobilizing against the policy, documenting affected individuals’ storiesโ and lobbying both Malawian โand international officials. “We refuse to let this issue quietly extinguish the hopes of Malawian youth,” said a representative from oneโ such group. โ
The story echoes in villages like Chunda’s,where a scholarship to the University โขof dayton remains unused. “I thought lifeโ wasโ about โto change forโฃ the first time,” he lamented. “for my entire family, not just myself. I now have toโฃ look elsewhere to โrealiseโข my dream.”
Theโ policy is a collaboration with Egab.