Visa applicants may be required to post bonds to enter US
WASHINGTON—The US Department of State is proposing requiring applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States, a move that may make the process unaffordable to many.
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the department said it would start a 12-month pilot program under which people from countries deemed to have high overstay rates and deficient internal document security controls could be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when they apply for a visa.
A preview of the notice posted on the Federal Register website on Monday said the pilot program would take effect within 15 days of its formal publication, adding it is necessary to ensure the US government is not financially liable if a visitor does not comply with the terms of his or her visa.
“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 notice said.
The countries affected would be listed once the program takes effect, it added.
Visa bonds have been proposed in the past but have not been implemented. Traditionally, the state department has discouraged the requirement because of the cumbersome process of posting and discharging a bond and because of possible misperceptions by the public.
But the bond would not apply to citizens of countries enrolled in the Visa Waiver Program. It could also be waived for others depending on an applicant’s individual circumstances.
