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The US State Department has proposed to start calling for bonds of up to $15,000 for some tourists and business visa applicants to enter the country under a pilot program which is scheduled to launch in two weeks, a government notification said on Monday.
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In an attempt to crackdown on visitors who overstay after their visa expires, the federal government said it would start a 12-month pilot program under which people who belong to countries with high over stay rates and lack in internal document security controls could be required to furnish bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when they apply for a US visa.
The notice published in the Federal Register stated that the program would commence within the 15 days of its formal publication and that it would be necessary to ensure that the US government would not be financially liable if the visitor does not comply with the terms of his or her visa.
The proposal by the State Department, which could make the process unaffordable for many, comes after President Donald Trump started cracking down on illegal immigration after coming back to office in January as he boosted resources to secure the border and arrest people staying illegally in the United States.
Trump had issued a blanket travel ban in June against citizens of 19 countries that fully or partially blocked them from entering the United States on national security grounds.
What does the Visa Bond notice say
The notice by Federal Register stated: “Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure and who are nationals of countries identified by the department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program.”
However, the State Department refrained from listing the countries whose citizens would be affected, saying the list will be released once the program takes effect.
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The bond, however, could be waived by the federal government depending on an applicant’s individual circumstances.
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