Nigeria is not included among countries whose nationals would be required to pay as much as a $15,000 bond as a condition for a visa to the U.S., the American government has said.

The outgoing administration of President Donald Trump, Monday, introduced a temporary rule which makes it mandatory for the nationals of some countries, most of them in Africa, to post a refundable bond of either $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 before they could get a visa to travel to the U.S.

The pilot programme, which is to run for six months, from December 24 to June 24, targets countries whose nationals – tourist and business travelers – are said to have high rates of overstaying their visa to the U.S., according to the American media.

The programme is meant to discourage foreign nationals from overstaying the visas.

“Nigeria is not included in this six months pilot program,” the U.S Embassy in Nigeria said in a statement on Tuesday.

Reuters reported that 24 countries, including 15 African countries, would be affected by the new programme.

It mentioned Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Chad, Angola, Burundi, Djibouti and Eritrea as being among the countries that would be affected.

Other countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, Syria, Laos and Yemen.