The US State Department announced on Monday that certain visa applicants will soon be required to pay bonds of up to $15,000 as part of a pilot program aimed at discouraging visa overstays. The policy forms part of President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on migration.
Beginning August 20, the 12-month pilot program will mandate that applicants from selected countries pay a bond of no less than $5,000 as collateral before being granted a B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrant visa. The funds will be refunded if the applicant complies with all visa conditions, but forfeited if the individual overstays their authorized period in the United States.
“Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance,” the State Department said in a notice scheduled for publication Tuesday in the Federal Register.
The program will apply to foreign nationals from countries with “high visa overstay rates,” as identified in a 2023 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report. It will also target applicants from nations where the US government deems screening and vetting information inadequate, as well as those who obtained citizenship without meeting residency requirements.
Applicants required to pay a bond must enter and exit the US through designated airports.
A State Department spokesperson told AFP that the policy reinforces the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws and protecting national security.
Neither the agency’s notice nor the spokesperson provided details on which specific countries would be affected by the policy.
The pilot program is described by the department as “a key pillar of the Trump administration’s foreign policy to protect the United States from the clear national security threat posed by visa overstays.”
The announcement comes as President Trump, since returning to office in January, intensifies efforts to curb both legal and illegal immigration.
AFP
