The US Department of State proposes to oblige business and tourist visa applicants to deposit a monetary bond of up to $15,000 for the right to enter the United States, which could make the process inaccessible to many people. This is reported by AP, writes UNN.
Details
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the department states that it will launch a 12-month pilot program. Under it, individuals from countries deemed to have high rates of visa overstay or weak internal document security controls may be required to post a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 when applying for a visa.
This initiative comes amid the Trump administration's tightening of requirements for visa applicants. Last week, the State Department announced that many individuals applying for visa renewals would be required to undergo an additional in-person interview, which was not previously required. In addition, it is proposed that participants in the visa lottery program have valid passports from their country of citizenship.
A preliminary text of the bond notice, published on the Federal Register website on Monday, indicates that the pilot program will take effect within 15 days of official publication. Its purpose is to ensure that the US government does not incur financial liability if a visitor violates the terms of their visa.
Foreign nationals applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or tourism purposes and who are citizens of countries that the State Department has identified as having high rates of overstay, with insufficient levels of vetting and security, or that offer citizenship through investment without a residency requirement, may fall under the pilot program
A specific list of countries will be released after the program comes into effect. It is also noted that the bond may be waived depending on the applicant's individual circumstances.
This requirement will not apply to citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows stays in the US for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. The program currently includes 42 countries, mostly European, as well as some countries in Asia, the Middle East, and other regions.
The publication notes that the idea of visa bonds has been considered in the past, but has never been implemented. The State Department previously did not support such an initiative due to the complexity of the process of depositing and returning the bond, as well as due to possible negative public perceptions.
However, the department now states that the previous position is not supported by recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have generally not been required in recent years.