Latest news with #visaapplicants
The Independent
05-08-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Some visa applicants could soon be asked to pay up to $15,000 bond to enter the US
The US State Department is proposing a significant new requirement for business and tourist visa applicants, potentially demanding a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States. This move could render the process unaffordable for many prospective visitors. A notice, due for publication in the Federal Register on Tuesday, outlines a 12-month pilot programme. Under this scheme, individuals from nations identified as having high visa overstay rates or deficient internal document security controls could be compelled to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when applying for a visa. The programme, set to commence within 15 days of its formal publication, is deemed essential to shield the US government from financial liability should a visitor fail to adhere to their visa terms. The notice specifies that "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 specific countries affected will be listed once the initiative begins. Citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Programme would be exempt from the bond requirement, and waivers could also be granted based on an applicant's individual circumstances. While visa bonds have been mooted previously but never implemented, the State Department had traditionally discouraged them due to the administrative burden and potential public misperceptions. However, the department now asserts that this prior stance "is not supported by any recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have not generally been required in any recent period."
ABC News
05-08-2025
- Business
- ABC News
US to charge some foreign travellers up to $23,000 in visa bonds
The US Department of State has prepared plans to impose bonds of up to $US15,000 ($23,000) for some tourist and business visas, according to a preview of the notice. The 12-month pilot program will give US consular officers the discretion to issue bonds to visitors from countries identified as "having high visa overstay rates," the notice to be published on Tuesday, local time, said. It added that bonds could also be applied to countries "where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien [applicant] obtained citizenship with no residency requirement". But the notice does not specify the countries that meet this requirement, noting "until the Pilot Program countries are selected, the Department is unable to estimate the number of visa applicants that will fall within the scope". The pilot visa program is expected to take effect in two weeks, on August 20, and last a whole year. Consular officers will have three options for visa applicants subjected to the bonds: $US5,000, $US10,000 or $US15,000, but will generally be expected to require at least $US10,000, the notice said. Travellers will get their bonds back when they depart the US in accordance with the terms of their visas. If they do not comply, the bond deposit will be forfeited. The US State Department said in the notice that the pilot program would help assess the feasibility of processing and discharging bonds for tourist and business visas. It would also "inform any future decision concerning the possible use of visa bonds to ensure nonimmigrants using these visa categories comply with the terms and conditions of their visas and timely depart the United States". Further, if the program is deemed feasible, the department said "it would serve as a critical diplomatic tool to compel other countries to address overstays by their nationals and to address deficiencies in their identity verification standards". The proposal comes as President Donald Trump's administration cracks down on immigration to the US and tightens requirements for visa applicants. He issued a travel ban in June that fully or partially blocks citizens of 12 countries from entering the US on national security grounds, mainly impacting people from the Middle East and Africa. While the State Department is currently unable to estimate the number of applicants to be impacted by the visa bond policy, many of the countries targeted by Mr Trump's travel ban also have high rates of visa overstays. This could mean Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar and Yemen will be affected. Other countries with high overstay rates include Burundi, Djibouti and Togo, according to US Customs and Border Protection data from the 2023 fiscal year. The US Travel Association, a group that represents major tourism firms, said in a statement that the scope of the visa bond pilot "appears to be limited," potentially affecting an estimated 2,000 applicants. They will most likely be "from only a few countries with relatively low travel volume to the United States," the association said. Mr Trump's immigration policies have led some visitors to skip travel to the US, with data showing the country is suffering a sharp decline in tourism, including an 11.6 per cent decrease in overseas visitors in March. Meanwhile, the US experienced its sharpest decline in Australian visitors since the height of the COVID pandemic in March this year, with a 7 per cent drop in visitor numbers. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) has toughened its travel advice for the US multiple times this year in response to the Trump administration's increasingly harsh border controls. While DFAT has not changed the US's overall rating from green, which means "exercise normal safety precautions," it has beefed up warnings about being detained at the border and requirements to carry identification inside the country. "Check US entry, registration, transit and exit requirements," it advises Australian travellers. "Whether you're travelling on a visa or under the Visa Waiver Program, ensure you understand all relevant terms and conditions before attempting to enter the United States."
The Independent
04-08-2025
- Business
- The Independent
State Department could soon ask visa applicants to pay up to $15,000 to enter the US
The US State Department is proposing a significant new requirement for business and tourist visa applicants, potentially demanding a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States. This move could render the process unaffordable for many prospective visitors. A notice, due for publication in the Federal Register on Tuesday, outlines a 12-month pilot programme. Under this scheme, individuals from nations identified as having high visa overstay rates or deficient internal document security controls could be compelled to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when applying for a visa. The programme, set to commence within 15 days of its formal publication, is deemed essential to shield the US government from financial liability should a visitor fail to adhere to their visa terms. The notice specifies that "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 specific countries affected will be listed once the initiative begins. Citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Programme would be exempt from the bond requirement, and waivers could also be granted based on an applicant's individual circumstances. While visa bonds have been mooted previously but never implemented, the State Department had traditionally discouraged them due to the administrative burden and potential public misperceptions. However, the department now asserts that this prior stance "is not supported by any recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have not generally been required in any recent period."
The Independent
04-08-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Certain people could soon have to pay up to $15,000 to enter the US
The US State Department is proposing a significant new requirement for certain business and tourist visa applicants. This involves a potential bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, which could render the process unaffordable for many prospective visitors. A 12-month pilot programme will target individuals from nations identified as having high visa overstay rates or deficient internal document security controls. Applicants from these countries may be compelled to post bonds of 5,000,5,000,10,000, or $15,000 when applying for a visa. The initiative aims to shield the US government from financial liability should a visitor fail to adhere to their visa terms, with specific countries to be listed once the programme begins.
CNN
04-08-2025
- Business
- CNN
State Department may require visa applicants to post bond of up to $15,000 to enter the US
The State Department is proposing requiring applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, a move that may make the process unaffordable for many. In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the department said it would start a 12-month pilot program under which people from countries deemed to have high overstay rates and deficient internal document security controls could be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when they apply for a visa. The proposal comes as the Trump administration is tightening requirements for visa applicants. Last week, the State Department announced that many visa renewal applicants would have to submit to an additional in-person interview, something that was not required in the past. In addition, the department is proposing that applicants for the Visa Diversity Lottery program have valid passports from their country of citizenship. A preview of the bond notice, which was posted on the Federal Register website on Monday, said the pilot program would take effect within 15 days of its formal publication and is necessary to ensure that the U.S. government is not financially liable if a visitor does not comply with the terms of his or her visa. '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 notice said. The countries affected will be listed once the program takes effect, it said. The bond could be waived depending on an applicant's individual circumstances. The bond would not apply to citizens of countries enrolled in the Visa Waiver Program, which enables travel for business or tourism for up to 90 days. The majority of the 42 countries enrolled in the program are in Europe, with others in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere. Visa bonds have been proposed in the past but have not been implemented. The State Department has traditionally discouraged the requirement because of the cumbersome process of posting and discharging a bond and because of a possible misperceptions by the public. However, the department said that previous view 'is not supported by any recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have not generally been required in any recent period.'
