State Department Announces Program Requiring Some Foreign Visitors To Pay Bonds Of Up To $15,000

The State Department is group to motorboat a caller aviator programme later this period that will require overseas visitors readying recreation to nan U.S. from definite countries to station bonds of up to $15,000, according to a temporary last rule published successful nan Federal Register Tuesday.

The program, scheduled to statesman Aug. 20 and past until Aug. 5, 2026, will specifically use to group successful definite overseas countries applying for B-1 aliases B-2 visas for business aliases tourer recreation to nan United States. Each of those visas allows for a maximum enactment of six months, though immoderate extensions are permitted successful definite cases.

The Trump management said nan program's intent is to trim visa overstays successful nan U.S. and is simply a nonstop consequence to President Donald Trump's January executive bid "Protecting The American People Against Invasion."

“The Pilot Program is simply a instrumentality of diplomacy, intended to promote overseas governments to return contiguous action to trim nan overstay rates of their nationals erstwhile walking to nan United States for impermanent visits, and to promote countries to amended screening and vetting and nan information of recreation and civilian documents, including successful nan granting of citizenship,” nan norm said.

Visa applicants will beryllium required to supply a enslaved of $5,000, $10,000 aliases $15,000 arsenic a information of it being issued, and nan magnitude will beryllium wished by consular officers based connected each person's circumstances. This tin include, nan management said, "any accusation provided by nan visa applicant connected nan visa exertion aliases successful nan visa question and reply regarding nan alien’s intent of travel, existent employment, income, skills, and education."

These requirements will only use to countries that nan State Department identifies arsenic having records of precocious visa overstay rates, based connected information collected by nan Department of Homeland Security. The State Department announced Tuesday that nan programme will first use to visa applicants from Malawi and Zambia. The database of countries tin beryllium amended passim nan program, according to nan rule.

The State Department said that these visa holders from Malawi and Zambia will person to get and depart from 1 of 3 points of entry: Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

It wasn’t instantly clear why Malawi and Zambia were chosen for nan program, arsenic nan latest DHS overstay study from fiscal twelvemonth 2023 listed Chad, Laos and Haiti arsenic being among nan countries that person nan highest visa overstay rates. Altogether, an estimated 500,000 group admitted to nan U.S. during that play stayed past their visa expiration dates.

The State Department didn't instantly respond to a petition for comment.

“This targeted common-sense measurement reinforces nan administration’s committedness to U.S. migration rule while deterring visa overstays,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters astatine nan property briefing Tuesday.

If visa applicants who are required to taxable bonds comply pinch nan position and conditions and don't overstay their visa, for example, they are entitled to afloat refunds. Those who break immoderate of nan conditions will person to forfeit nan enslaved amount.

This comes arsenic nan Trump management has been transforming nan national government's migration and visa rules for months. Under nan precocious enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, for example, visitors to nan U.S. will request to salary a "visa integrity fee" connected apical of further visa fees.