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The official list of affected countries will be published on the Travel.State.Gov website at least 15 days before the program goes into effect, and may be updated with similar notice. Past federal data cited countries such as Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar, Yemen, Burundi, Djibouti, and Togo as having high overstay rates.
The U.S. State Department is preparing to roll out a visa bond program that would require travellers from certain countries to pay up to USD 15,000 before entering the U.S. on tourist or business visas. The move revives a Trump-era policy first proposed in November 2020, targeting countries with high visa overstay rates, mainly targeting African countries.
The 12-month pilot program would apply to nationals from countries where overstay rates exceed 10%. The bonds are meant to ensure travellers leave the U.S. on time. Visitors would have their money refunded upon departure, naturalization, or death.
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The official list of affected countries will be published on the Travel.State.Gov website at least 15 days before the program goes into effect, and may be updated with similar notice. Past federal data cited countries such as Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar, Yemen, Burundi, Djibouti, and Togo as having high overstay rates. Details of the travel ban are as follows.
- A travel ban targeting mostly African and Middle Eastern countries
- Termination of protected status for many immigrants
- A proposed $250 visa integrity fee, among the highest in the world
- New rules requiring foreign students to share online activity and social media profiles as part of the visa process
