The US State Department is proposing a significant new requirement for business and tourist visa applicants, potentially demanding a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States.
This move could render the process unaffordable for many prospective visitors.
A notice, due for publication in the Federal Register on Tuesday, outlines a 12-month pilot programme.
Under this scheme, individuals from nations identified as having high visa overstay rates or deficient internal document security controls could be compelled to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when applying for a visa.
The programme, set to commence within 15 days of its formal publication, is deemed essential to shield the US government from financial liability should a visitor fail to adhere to their visa terms.
The notice specifies that “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.”
The specific countries affected will be listed once the initiative begins.
Citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Programme would be exempt from the bond requirement, and waivers could also be granted based on an applicant’s individual circumstances.
While visa bonds have been mooted previously but never implemented, the State Department had traditionally discouraged them due to the administrative burden and potential public misperceptions.
However, the department now asserts that this prior stance “is not supported by any recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have not generally been required in any recent period.”
