•Embassy cautions Nigerians against using AI-edited passport photos

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The United States has finalised a plan that will compel Nigerians and other African business and tourist visa applicants to deposit up to $20,000 to guarantee they will depart America at the expiration of their stay, citing rising visa overstays and poor information-sharing by several countries on the continent.

The rule, which takes effect on Monday, August 3, 2026, establishes a permanent Visa Bond Program following the pilot phase that began in August 2025.

This is even as the US Mission in Nigeria has cautioned Nigerians against using AI-edited passport photos for visa applications, saying it will not accept photos that are edited or filtered.

Meanwhile, the Department of State said the new rule on a $20,000 bond, published yesterday, was aimed at tackling the hundreds of thousands of non-immigrant visitors who remain in the US beyond their authorized period.

According to the department, the policy targets applicants from countries “with high overstay rates, deficient information sharing, insufficient identity verification and criminal records, and that need improvement in the area of screening and vetting and the security of travel and civil documents.”

It linked the policy to Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which directs the Treasury, State and Homeland Security departments to strengthen bond administration under US immigration law.

During the pilot phase, 50 countries were added, and all qualified B-1/B-2 applicants were required to deposit up to $15,000, as deemed necessary by the consular officers.

The State Department noted the pilot worked, saying that overstays from the affected countries dropped to fewer than 50 in the first 10 months of the pilot phase, whereas in full-year 2024, the 50 pilot countries recorded 45,488 overstays.

However, it noted that the bond requirement also led to a sharp drop in applications. For instance, visa issuance for pilot countries fell by 83 percent between August 2025 and July 2026, with close to half of the 20,000 applicants choosing not to pay the bond. Total bond payments during the pilot reached about $115 million.

US data showed that non-VWP (Visa Waiver Program) countries consistently record higher overstay rates. For the full year 2024, the Department of Homeland Security reported 269,382 B-1/B-2 overstays excluding Mexico, Canada and Visa Waiver Program countries. For VWP countries, the overstay rate was 0.44 percent, compared to 2.06 percent for non-VWP travelers.

“The 2025 visa bond pilot, which provided a framework for the Department of State,
the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury to assess the
feasibility of administering a visa bond programme, has provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond program is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders,” it said.

The State Department noted the policy is not punitive but a “tool of diplomacy” to push countries to improve data sharing and document security.

“This program responds to… and is intended to encourage foreign governments to take immediate action to reduce the overstay rates by encouraging their nationals to comply with US immigration laws,” the notice stated.

Under the new rules, consular officers will determine the bond amount for each applicant based on individual circumstances, with options of $10,000, $15,000, and $20,000.

Embassy Cautions Nigerians Against Using AI-edited Passport Photos

Meanwhile, the US Mission in Nigeria has warned passport applicants against using artificial intelligence (AI) or digitally edited photographs in their applications, stating that such images will not be accepted.

In a reminder shared on its official X account at the weekend, the mission stressed that passport photos must be genuine, recent and accurately reflect the applicant’s current appearance.

“Reminder! Do NOT use AI or digital editing tools on your passport photo. We will not accept photos that are edited or filtered,” the mission wrote.

“Your photo should be recent (taken within the past six months) and look like you. The TSA or CBP agent must be able to tell it’s you.”

The embassy stated that applicants should avoid using AI tools, filters, or any form of digital enhancement when taking passport photographs.

The mission further warned that submitting a digitally enhanced image could cause significant delays in processing passport applications.

“Submitting a digitally enhanced photo will significantly delay your application.”

Applicants were also directed to the US Department of State’s passport photo guidelines for more information on the required standards.