Some civil society organisations (CSOs) has formally lobbied US President Donald Trump to remove the newly introduced $15 000 (about K26 million) travel bond imposed on Malawians travelling to the US.
The CSOs argue that the policy is unfair and harsh for people from a poor country like Malawi.
Through an August 20 2025 letter signed by Youth and Society executive director Charles Kajoloweka and National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe, the CSOs said the policy was a “de facto visa ban” with the potential to affect students, businesspeople and families from visiting the US.
The bond requirement, which came into effect on August 20, is part of a 12-month pilot programme announced by the US State Department targeting countries with high visa overstay rates. Malawi and Zambia are the first countries subjected to the new financial requirement.
The CSOs note that US data show that only about 250 Malawians have overstayed their visas in recent years, describing the figure as “negligible” compared to other countries that have not been subjected to such restrictions.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier stated that the Malawi Government reached out to the Embassy of the United States of America in Lilongwe to raise concerns about the new visa bond policy.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo also met a delegation from the embassy led by the acting chargé d’affaires Philip Nelson.
Malawi Human Rights Commission executive director Habiba Osman earlier this month described the policy as “inhumane” .
The US announced the new visa bond policy on August 5 and warned that payment of the deposit does not guarantee visa issuance
