US: $15,000 Bonds for Tourist Visas Considered

The United States may require bonds of up to $15,000 for certain tourist and business visas under a pilot program starting in two weeks. The aim is to combat the phenomenon of visitors overstaying their allowed period of stay.

The program gives U.S. consular officers the discretion to impose bonds on visitors from countries with high overstay rates, as well as individuals from countries where vetting information is deemed inadequate.

The new visa program, starting on August 20, will last approximately one year. Consular officials will have three options for the bonds: $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, with the $10,000 requirement expected to be the most common.

A similar program was initiated in November 2020 but was not fully implemented due to the pandemic. The State Department has not estimated the number of visa applicants who will be affected.

Countries targeted by the U.S. travel ban, such as Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar, and Yemen, also have high visa overstay rates. Several African countries, including Burundi, Djibouti, and Togo, also exhibit high overstay rates.

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ