US to Pilot $15,000 Visa Bonds for Visitors from High Overstay Countries

Under a new pilot program that the U.S. government is planning to implement, certain tourists and business travelers may be required to pay bonds of up to $15,000.  Travelers from nations where the U.S. This initiative focuses on areas where the government is concerned about screening and vetting processes or where there is a high rate of visa overstays.   The goal is to encourage people to follow visa requirements and leave the country on time.

It is anticipated that the pilot program will start on August 20 and run for approximately 12 months.  The United States will decide how much the bonds will cost. consular officials, who will base their decision on the traveler's employment, income, education, and purpose of visit.  The bond can be $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. Most tourists will probably have to pay at least $10,000.

Countries affected by this program have not yet been officially announced, but they are expected to include those with significant overstay rates or weak vetting procedures. Some countries already flagged for high overstays include Chad, Haiti, and Laos. Many of the countries subject to the recent travel bans by the Trump administration may also be included.

The bonds will be refunded when travelers leave the U.S. as required, become naturalized citizens, or in case of death. In this example, the government is anticipating that this program will help improve compliance, and in turn reduce overstays. It is also viewed politically, and as a way for countries to pressure own citizens about travelling outside of their borders.

The pilot program is described more thoroughly in relation to previous efforts to restrict immigration laws and regulations and follows closely on the heels of a new $250 visa integrity fee imposed on some travelers. While there are not an expected number of travelers who will be negatively affected by the bond program and only an estimated 2000 at best, it is indicative of increased focus on visa overstays and enforcement of immigration policy.

The U.S. Travel Association has noted that new policies that discourage visitation will further harm U.S. tourism when visitation numbers are already down from years past which hurts the overall economy. Many travelers to the U.S. are going to weigh the increase in cost and new risk of travelling to the U.S. when evaluating options for visitation with the new bond requirement.