America is launching a pilot program that might require some inbound travelers to pay bonds of as much as $15,000 to enter.
The 12-month program is aimed, partly, at visitors from countries with historically high visa overstay rates, in response to an unpublished temporary final rule posted within the Federal Register on Tuesday.
It’s the most recent move by the Trump administration to tighten immigration laws within the U.S., following a travel ban on nationals from 12 countries in June and a $250 “visa integrity fee” announcement in July.
Here’s what we all know concerning the bond program, based on the Federal Register notice:
Who can have to pay?
This system applies to leisure and business travelers who need B-1 or B-2 visas to enter the U.S., and who’re coming from countries:
- which have high visa overstay rates,
- where screening and vetting information is deemed insufficient, or
- that supply Citizenship by Investment with no residency requirement.
Which countries are these?
The U.S. Department of State is ready to announce the list of nations as early as today.
Overstay rates shall be based on the Department of Homeland Security’s 2023 Entry/Exit Overstay Report. This report, published on Aug. 5, 2024, shows countries with high overstay rates include Chad (50%), Laos (35%) and Haiti (31%).
Nonetheless, countries with essentially the most total overstays, by number, are Mexico (roughly 49,000), Brazil (21,000), Colombia (41,000), Haiti (27,000), Venezuela (22,000) and Dominican Republic (20,000).
How many individuals can have to pay?
Not many.
The Department of State said it expects around 2,000 people will post visa bonds in the course of the pilot program, given the variety of people who find themselves qualified to acquire U.S. visas and “uncertainty” surrounding the number of people that pays it.
How much are the bonds?
There are three levels of bonds: $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000.
Bond amounts are on the discretion of consular officers, subject to guidelines. The amounts shall be based on travelers’ “personal circumstances,” including their reason for traveling, employment, income, skills and education.
Travelers who’re required to pay a visa bond must enter and depart the U.S. through specific ports of entry, which shall be announced at a later date.
Why a pilot program as an alternative of a blanket rule?
The aim of the 12-month pilot is at the least two-fold, in response to the U.S. State Department.
It’s primarily geared toward accessing the feasibility of processing and discharging bonds, which the federal government has previously deemed to be “cumbersome.” But it’ll also help ascertain whether bonds compel visitors to comply with their visa terms.
The federal government’s notice, nevertheless, also states that the pilot program is a “tool of diplomacy” intended to spur foreign governments to cut back overstay rates of their nationals and improve their travel screening and vetting processes.
Notably, the pilot program provides more details than the blanket $250 “visa integrity fee” announced in July, including when it’ll start, how it’ll be implemented, and processes to post and refund bonds amounts.
What number of U.S. visitors overstay their visa terms?
Only one%-2% of nonimmigrant visitors overstayed their visas annually from 2016 to 2022, in response to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.
Nonetheless, 42% of the estimated 11 million individuals who live within the U.S. without authorization entered on valid visas, but then never left, data shows.
In 2019, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that greater than 320,000 people overstayed their visas, though this includes travelers who eventually left the country, in response to the State Department’s visa bond notice.
— CNBC’s Kaela Ling contributed to this story.
