LUSAKA, Zambia (AFP) — Zambia on Friday expressed “serious concern” at a new United States (US) measure requiring its nationals to post a bond of up to US$15,000 to travel to the country on business or tourist visas.

The measure announced Tuesday, which also applies to nationals of Malawi, takes effect on August 20 as part of a one-year pilot project aimed at reducing visa overstays in the United States, where President Donald Trump’s administration is cracking down on immigration.

“The Zambian government views this development with serious concern, given its potential economic implications on trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges,” Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe said in a statement.

The new requirement would cause “unnecessary financial strain” on Zambians, he said.

The United States has said that the bond — ranging between $5,000 and $15,000 and determined during a visa interview — will be returned if the applicant complies with the terms of their visa.

If the applicant remains in the United States past the deadline, the funds will be forfeited.

“The pilot programme does not foster or engender the deepening of bilateral relations, but rather, it is counter to the spirit of mutual beneficial relations between the two sovereign states,” Haimbe said.

He added that the Zambian government had approached Washington to discuss the measure.