WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. State Department has announced the addition of 12 countries to a list of nations whose citizens must secure bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for U.S. visas.
Beginning April 2, nationals from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia will be required to post a bond, which will be refunded if the visa application is denied or if the individual complies with the visa terms following approval.
This information was disclosed in a notice published on the State Department website on Wednesday.
With this expansion, a total of 50 countries will presently be subject to this regulation, a measure originally implemented by the Trump administration as part of a broader initiative to curb visa overstays and illegal migration.
Under this program, applicants from designated countries—many of which are in Africa and known for high overstay rates—must deposit bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the applicant's circumstances and the discretion of the processing consular officer.
The State Department emphasized that the visa bond initiative has been effective in significantly reducing the number of recipients who overstay their visas, reporting that nearly 97% of the close to 1,000 individuals who have posted a bond honored their visa terms.
For a comprehensive list of affected countries, click here.
