The State Department is proposing a pilot program that would require some visitors to post a bond of up to $15,000 before being granted a U.S. visa, targeting travelers from countries with high visa overstay rates.
A map created by Newsweek shows what countries would be affected if the pilot program were implemented based on the most recent available overstay data. The map highlights nations like Angola, Liberia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cabo Verde and Burkina Faso—all with visa overstay rates above 10 percent in 2023.
Why It Matters
According to a notice published Monday in the Federal Register, the 12-month program would apply to applicants for business and tourist visas from countries identified as having high rates of visa overstays, poor internal document security or citizenship-by-investment programs that require no residency.
The bond would be returned if the traveler departs the U.S. on time, and forfeited if they stay past the allowed date.
What To Know
The new visa bond program would take effect August 20, according to documents reviewed by Newsweek and a notice previewed Monday on the Federal Register website. The Department of Homeland Security says the goal is to ensure the U.S. government doesn’t incur costs when a visitor violates visa terms.
“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 … may be subject to the pilot program,” the notice said.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, more than 500,000 people overstayed visas in 2023.
By comparison, other countries have far more total overstays, but much lower rates. Colombia had the most total overstays in 2023 with 40,884, followed by Haiti (27,269), Venezuela (21,513), Brazil (20,811) and the Dominican Republic (20,259).
Colombia also sent nearly 945,000 visitors to the U.S., resulting in a relatively low overstay rate.
The administration of President Donald Trump first introduced a version of the visa bond rule in 2020, but it was never implemented due to the sharp decline in international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. The revived proposal includes similar criteria and is part of a broader effort to tighten immigration enforcement.
The list of countries subject to the bond requirement will be released at least 15 days before the program begins, according to the notice. The State Department said the program would help determine whether the long-standing assumption that visa bonds are too difficult to enforce holds up under modern conditions.
What People Are Saying
The public notice stated: “The Pilot Program will help the Department assess the continued reliance on the untested historical assumption that imposing visa bonds to achieve the foreign policy and national security goals of the United States remains too cumbersome to be practical.”
Andrew Kreighbaum, a journalist covering immigration, posted to X, formerly Twitter: “It’s getting more expensive for many business and tourist travelers to enter the U.S. On top of new visa integrity fees, the State Department is imposing visa bonds as high as $15,000.”
What Happens Next
Visa bonds are not new, but the State Department has rarely used them. A section of the Foreign Affairs Manual has described the process as impractical, a view the department now says was based on assumption rather than data.
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