The US is launching a pilot program that might require some inbound vacationers to pay bonds of as much as $15,000 to enter.
The 12-month program is aimed, partially, at guests from nations with traditionally excessive visa overstay charges, in line with an unpublished short-term last rule posted within the Federal Register on Tuesday.
It is the newest transfer by the Trump administration to tighten immigration legal guidelines within the U.S., following a journey ban on nationals from 12 nations in June and a $250 “visa integrity charge” announcement in July.
Here is what we all know in regards to the bond program, based mostly on the Federal Register discover:
Who must pay?
This system applies to leisure and enterprise vacationers who want B-1 or B-2 visas to enter the U.S., and who’re coming from nations:
- which have excessive visa overstay charges,
- the place screening and vetting data is deemed inadequate, or
- that provide Citizenship by Funding and not using a residency requirement.
Which nations are these?
The U.S. Division of State is ready to announce the checklist of nations as early as right now.
Overstay charges will probably be based mostly on the Division of Homeland Safety’s 2023 Entry/Exit Overstay Report. This report, revealed on Aug. 5, 2024, reveals nations with excessive overstay charges embody Chad (50%), Laos (35%) and Haiti (31%).
Nonetheless, nations with essentially the most complete overstays, by quantity, 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 must pay?
Not many.
The Division of State mentioned it expects round 2,000 individuals will submit visa bonds throughout the pilot program, given the variety of people who find themselves certified to acquire U.S. visas and “uncertainty” surrounding the quantity of people that pays it.
How a lot are the bonds?
There are three ranges of bonds: $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000.
Bond quantities are on the discretion of consular officers, topic to tips. The quantities will probably be based mostly on vacationers’ “private circumstances,” together with their motive for touring, employment, revenue, expertise and training.
Vacationers who’re required to pay a visa bond should enter and depart the U.S. via particular ports of entry, which will probably be introduced at a later date.
Why a pilot program as a substitute of a blanket rule?
The aim of the 12-month pilot is at the very least two-fold, in line with the U.S. State Division.
It’s primarily geared toward accessing the feasibility of processing and discharging bonds, which the federal government has beforehand deemed to be “cumbersome.” However it’ll additionally assist confirm whether or not bonds compel guests to adjust to their visa phrases.
The federal government’s discover, nevertheless, additionally states that the pilot program is a “instrument of diplomacy” supposed to spur overseas governments to cut back overstay charges of their nationals and enhance their journey screening and vetting processes.
Notably, the pilot program offers extra particulars than the blanket $250 “visa integrity charge” introduced in July, together with when it’ll begin, how will probably be applied, and processes to submit and refund bonds quantities.
What number of U.S. guests overstay their visa phrases?
Just one%-2% of nonimmigrant guests overstayed their visas annually from 2016 to 2022, in line with the U.S. Congressional Analysis Service.
Nonetheless, 42% of the estimated 11 million individuals who reside within the U.S. with out authorization entered on legitimate visas, however then by no means left, information reveals.
In 2019, the Division of Homeland Safety estimated that greater than 320,000 individuals overstayed their visas, although this consists of vacationers who finally left the nation, in line with the State Division’s visa bond discover.
— CNBC’s Kaela Ling contributed to this story.
