UPDATE: U.S FINALIZES $20,000 VISA BOND POLICY AFFECTING NIGERIA AND 49 OTHER NATIONS. (PHOTO).
U.S Finalizes $20,000 Visa Bond Policy Affecting Nigeria and 49 Other Nations The United States government has officially formalized its visa bond policy, making it a permanent measure that could require travelers from 50 designated countries, including Nigeria, to pay a refundable bond of up to $20,000 before receiving certain visas. First introduced as a pilot scheme in 2025, the policy targets applicants seeking B1 and B2 visas, which are designated for business and tourism. According to the U.S. Department of State, the initiative is designed to bolster compliance with local immigration laws and drastically reduce visa overstay rates. How the Visa Bond Policy Works Under the permanent guidelines, U.S. consular officers have the discretion to instruct eligible applicants to post a bond as a prerequisite for visa issuance. However, U.S. authorities have clarified that the financial requirement will not be applied automatically to every traveler from the listed nations. Data anal...
Today thursday,the Kano State Pilgrim Welfare Board said that 16 female intending pilgrims,discovered to be pregnant,had been barred from performing 2016 Hajj.The Executive Secretary of the board,Malam Abba Yakubu,disclosed this in an interview in Kano.He said the affected pilgrims were detected during the medical and pregnancy test conducted by the committee set up to screen the pilgrims.He said ''All the 16 female intending pilgrims will not be allowed to go to Holy Land in compliance with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria {NAHCON} directive''.Yakubu said the board had already replaced the affected pilgrims with the names of their relations as requested by them.He disclosed that the board had completed the necessary arrangements for the commencement of the transportation of its intending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.The executive secretary said the exercise,which was to commence today August 11,had now been shifted to August 12,following the delay in getting the Basic Travelling Allowance {BTA} for the pilgrims.''We have shifted the transportation of the first batch of our pilgrims to Friday August 12,following the delay in securing BTA for our intending pilgrims.So by the grace of God,the transportation will commence unfailingly tomorrow''.Yakubu said the board would deploy 13 health personnel including doctors and nurses to take care of the state pilgrims while in Saudi for hajj.He said that the board had so far secured over 4,500 visas for its intending pilgrims while the remaining 1,388 passports were being processed at the Saudi Consulate in Kano.
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