Tourists and business travelers from Zambia and Malawi must pay a deposit of up to $15,000 when seeking a US visa, the State Department has announced, in a move likened to a visa ban for the African nations,

Critics have denounced the bond scheme as a ‘legalised shakedown’ that profits from vulnerable, lawful travellers.

The United States (US) says, beginning August 20, Malawi and Zambia are to be the first countries where a pilot programme requiring certain visa applicants to pay up to US$15,000 bonds to enter the country will be applied.