The State Department is planning to launch a bond program for some business and tourist visas that could force applicants to put up as much as $15,000 before entering the United States, a large sum that would make travel to the country unaffordable for many.
The 12-month “visa bond” pilot program, announced in an internal State Department memo, targets those from countries whose nationals have a high rate of overstaying their visas, according to multiple reports.
“The rule properly is described as a key pillar of the Trump Administration’s foreign policy to protect the United States from the clear national security threat posed by visa overstays and deficient screening and vetting,” the program’s draft regulation posted to the Federal Register reads.
The countries that would be affected by the proposal were not shared with employees, Politico reported, but are expected to be announced imminently — and are subject to change at any time.
The bond would be collected by the Treasury Department and returned to applicants if they comply with the terms of their visa, as detailed in the 33-page draft regulation. The final version is expected to publish tomorrow, and take effect 15 days later on Aug. 20.
Consular officers would have three options for visa applicants subjected to bonds: $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, but would generally be expected to require at least $10,000, the memo said.
During President Donald Trump’s first term in office, a similar six-month pilot program was completed in 2020 but was not implemented under the Biden administration.
According to the draft resolution, the 2020 pilot program was not implemented due to sharp decreases in travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “and consequently it did not provide any data on the feasibility for full implementation.”
Immigration policy has taken center stage during the first quarter of the second Trump administration. The number of individuals in detention has reached historic levels, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests have risen in every state and the administration has placed travel bans on dozens of countries.
The United States is already seeing this crackdown affect tourism. Transatlantic airfares in May dropped to pre-pandemic rates and travel from Canada and Mexico fell by 20% year over year.