New Visa Rule: Tourists May Be Asked To Pay Heavy Bond To Visit The U.S

According to a draft of a temporary final regulation, the U.S State Department has made plans to require bonds of up to $15,000 for some business and tourism visas. Under a 12-month experimental scheme, the bonds would be given to tourists from nations with high overstay rates.

In November 2020, the month after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the presidential election, the first Trump administration launched an effort that is being renewed. For tourists and business travelers from two dozen countries with 10% or greater overstay rates—mostly in Africa—that rule would have required a $15,000 bond.

On August 5, the new federal registry notice for the visa bond pilot program is expected to be released.

“In collaboration with the Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) and the Department of Homeland Security (the “DHS”), the Pilot Program will allow the Department to evaluate the operational viability of posting, processing, and discharging visa bonds. This will help inform any future decisions regarding the potential use of visa bonds to ensure nonimmigrants using these visa categories adhere to the terms and conditions of their visas and leave the United States on time,” the statement reads.

It stated that at least 15 days prior to the trial program’s implementation, it will make the countries in question public on the “Travel.State.Gov” website. Additionally, it said that the list could change with another 15-day notice.

Bonds would be returned to tourists and business visitors upon their departure from the United States, naturalization as citizens, or death, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulations.

There was never any implementation of the initial six-month pilot program.

Countries will be chosen on the basis of “high overstay rates, screening and vetting inadequacies, concerns surrounding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations,” a state department spokesperson told Reuters. The number of candidates who would be impacted was not estimated by the department.

Many US citizens’ temporary protected status has been revoked, and 12 nations’ immigration visas have been completely banned as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

The president’s June travel restriction, which primarily affected Middle Eastern and African nations, might be expanded upon by the bond policy. The restriction was aimed at countries with high rates of visa overstays, including Haiti, Myanmar, Yemen, Chad, and Eritrea. Citing federal statistics from 2023, Reuters stated that Burundi, Djibouti, and Togo are among the other nations with high overstay rates.

The scope of the visa bond trial “appears to be limited,” affecting an estimated 2,000 applicants, most likely from nations with low travel rates to the US, according to a statement from the US Travel Association, an organization that represents significant travel companies.

Last month, the State Department also released new guidelines that require US diplomats to check foreign students’ internet activities before granting them exchange and educational visas. Students will be suspected of concealing their social media activity from US authorities if they refuse to unlock their accounts.

The Largest Deportation In The History Of The U.S Begins

The new policy’s announcement follows data has shown the US is suffering a sharp decline in tourism, including an 11.6% decrease in overseas visitors in March, with the tourism industry expected to lose out on billions of dollars this year due to government actions.

Travel from Canada and Mexico has fallen by 20% year over year, according to the US Travel Association. That group has also warned about the impact of requiring visitors to pay a $250 “visa integrity fee”, which was included in Trump’s sweeping tax bill last month. That fee, if adopted, would be one of the highest in the world for a country to charge.

There have also been increasing accounts of tourists and visitors with valid visas getting detained by Ice, escalating fears that a trip to the US could carry serious risks.

Credit: Reuters & Guardian News