WASHINGTON – The US could require up to US$15,000 (S$19,300) in bonds for some tourist and business visas under a new pilot programme launching in two weeks, said a US government notice on Aug 4 – an effort that aims to crack down on visitors who overstay their visas.
The programme gives US consular officers the discretion to impose bonds on visitors from countries with high rates of visa overstays, according to a Federal Register notice.
The bonds could also be applied to people coming from countries where screening and vetting information is deemed insufficient, the notice said.
US President Donald Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a central focus of his presidency, boosting resources to secure the border and arresting people staying in the US illegally.
in June issued a travel ban
that blocks citizens of 12 nations from entering the US on national security grounds.
The new visa programme, effective from Aug 20, will last for approximately a year, the government notice said.
The US government launched a similar pilot programme in November 2020 during the last months of Mr Trump’s first term in office, but it was not fully implemented due to the drop in global travel associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, the notice said. REUTERS