WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has proposed requiring applicants to conduct business and tourist visas to issue up to $15,000 in bonds into the United States, a move that may leave many people unable to withstand the process.
The department said in a notice published in the Federal Register on Tuesday that the department will launch a 12-month pilot program under which people who are considered to have high coverage and insufficient internal document security controls when applying for visas may require higher bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration tightens requirements for visa applicants. Last week, the State Department announced that many visa applicants must undergo additional interviews, something that was not needed in the past. In addition, the department proposes that applicants of the visa diversity lottery program have valid passports for their country of citizenship.
The preview of the bond notice was released on the Federal Register website on Monday, he said the pilot program will take effect within 15 days of its official publication and it is necessary to ensure that if visitors do not comply with their visa terms, the U.S. government must be financially responsible.
“Foreigners apply for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure are nationals of countries identified by the department and may be requested by pilots if the visa rate is high, if screening and review information is considered insufficient or if citizenship is provided through investment.”
It said that once the plan takes effect, the affected countries will be listed. Depending on the applicant's personal circumstances, bonds can be exempted.
The bond will not apply to citizens of countries participating in the visa exemption program, who can travel for business or tourism within 90 days. Most of the 42 countries participating in the program are in Europe, others in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere.
Visa bonds have been proposed in the past, but have not yet been implemented. Traditionally, the State Council has discouraged this requirement because of the cumbersome process of issuing and lifting bonds and possible public misunderstandings.
However, the department said, “No recent example or evidence supports previous views, as visa bonds in any recent period are usually not required.”