The State Department is making permanent a pilot program under which citizens from 50 countries, mainly in Africa, are required to post bonds to apply for a US visa, and it’s raising the cost as well, to as much as $20,000.
Program Details
A draft notice published Friday in the Federal Register says a nearly year-long review “provided sufficient data” to suggest the bond program effectively enforces compliance with visa conditions, and would be made permanent. The program requires holders of passports from the affected countries to pay the bond to be interviewed for business and tourist visas — known as B1 and B2 visas — to travel to the United States. The bond is refunded if the visa application is denied or, if granted, if the person adheres to the visa terms.
The Trump administration rolled out the program last August to crack down on illegal immigration and as part of its broader efforts to curtail illegal immigration. The government estimates that arresting and deporting visitors who have overstayed their visa costs about $18,000 per person.
Critics have said it imposes an unnecessarily harsh burden on people from impoverished countries to visit family members or to pursue education or business opportunities in the US.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
