It will not apply to the 42 countries in the Visa Waiver Program, where tourist and business visa applicants can stay in the United States for up to 90 days.
The U.S. State Department announced on Aug. 4 that it will require some applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000.
The threshold is for those coming from countries that have high overstay rates in the United States. This new requirement will begin with a 12-month pilot program, according to the Federal Register.
“Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure and who are nationals of countries identified by the department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program,” the Federal Register stated.
The program is in accordance with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January titled “Protecting The American People Against Invasion.”
“Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans,” it states.
“Others are engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities,” it continues. “Many have abused the generosity of the American people, and their presence in the United States has cost taxpayers billions of dollars at the federal, state, and local levels.”
The State Department stated that the program is a necessary national security measure.
The department said it is “a tool of diplomacy, intended to encourage foreign governments to take immediate action to reduce the overstay rates of their nationals when traveling to the United States for temporary visits, and to encourage countries to improve screening and vetting and the security of travel and civil documents, including in the granting of citizenship.”
Additionally, the department said it looks to send a message to countries that have high overstay rates in the United States to take account of their own people who are in the United States illegally.
These countries have yet to be announced but will be posted on the State Department’s website no less than 15 days before the pilot program takes effect. It will not apply to the 42 countries in the Visa Waiver Program, where tourist and business visa applicants can stay in the United States for up to 90 days.
