US to require $15k bond to visa recipients from 12 more countries

WASHINGTON: President Trump's administration will require citizens from 50 countries to post bonds of $15,000 to apply for US entry, a state department official said on Wednesday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 12 countries are being added to a list that already includes 38 other nations, largely in Africa.

The expanded visa bond programme, which requires those foreign nationals to pay $15,000 for a B1 or B2 visa for business and tourism, goes into effect on April 2. The aim is to prevent visitors from overstaying their visas, the official said. The new nations included in the visa bond programme are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.

The official said bonds will be returned to visa recipients who return home in compliance with the terms of the visa and the bond, or do not travel in the first place. The state department official said the programme has cut the number of people who overstay their visas.

(This is a Reuters story)