The U.S. visa bond pilot program aims to deter overstay risks, requiring some travelers to pay bonds of up to $15,000, starting soon.
The United States is launching a new pilot program aimed at tackling visa overstays by requiring some inbound travelers to pay bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the country and this 12-month program targets travelers from countries with high visa overstay rates or inadequate screening procedures, marking the latest initiative by the Trump administration to tighten U.S. immigration policies. The move comes after a travel ban on nationals from 12 countries and the announcement of a “visa integrity fee.” Here’s a closer look at the details of this pilot program, based on the Federal Register notice.
The bond requirement will apply to leisure and business travelers who need B-1 or B-2 visas to enter the U.S. Travelers from countries with high visa overstay rates, insufficient screening, or citizenship programs offering investment without residency requirements will be subject to the bond but while the U.S. State Department will soon announce the list of affected countries, the 2023 Entry/Exit Overstay Report suggests nations like Chad, Laos, and Haiti will likely be included because of their high overstay rates.
The bonds will be set at three levels: $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 and the bond amount for each traveler will be determined by consular officers based on individual circumstances, like employment, income, education, and purpose of travel. Travelers required to pay the bond will enter and depart the U.S. through designated ports of entry, which will be announced later.
The 12-month pilot program serves two main purposes but first, it aims to evaluate the feasibility of processing and discharging bonds, a process that has historically been deemed cumbersome. Second, it seeks to assess whether bonds will effectively encourage travelers to comply with the terms of their visas and additionally, the U.S. government views this program as a diplomatic tool to press foreign governments into improving their visa screening and reducing overstay rates.
Visa overstays are a significant issue in U.S. immigration but although only 1-2% of nonimmigrant visitors overstayed their visas between 2016 and 2022, over 42% of the 11 million unauthorized immigrants initially entered with valid visas. In 2019 alone, an estimated 320,000 people overstayed their visas and the new bond program, according to the U.S. Department of State aims to address this issue and mitigate the risks posed by overstays.
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In order to gain insight into how well the bonds ensure compliance and whether foreign governments will tighten their own visa policies in response, the U.S. government will be able to test the concept through a pilot program before implementing the rule on a large scale.
