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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Economy & Trade

US to Require Bonds Up to $20,000 for Tourist, Business Visas from 50 Countries

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • The U.S. government will require security bonds of $10,000 to $20,000 for tourist and business visas for citizens of about 50 countries.
  • The measure, effective Monday, aims to reduce irregular stays in the United States.
  • The pilot program has already led to a 50% drop in applications from those initially identified for bond payment and an 83% reduction in visa issuances in affected nations.

The United States government is set to implement a new policy requiring security bonds ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 for tourist and business visa applicants from approximately 50 countries. This measure, officially published by the Department of State and effective Monday, aims to curb the rate of individuals overstaying their permitted time in the U.S.

The measure, officialized this Friday by the Department of State through its publication in the Federal Register, will take effect on Monday and seeks to reduce irregular stays in U.S. territory.

— El NacionalReporting on the new U.S. visa bond policy.

The policy is an extension of a pilot program initiated last August. While primarily affecting applicants from West and East African nations such as Benin, Cape Verde, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Uganda, it also includes four countries in the Americas: Cuba, Grenada, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Consular officials will have the discretion to set the bond amount for each applicant, with the funds to be held by the Treasury Department and refunded upon the visitor's departure within the authorized period.

According to the Department of State, the program has already shown significant impact during its trial year. Out of 20,000 identified applications requiring a bond, half of the applicants chose to withdraw their process. Furthermore, the economic requirement resulted in an 83% decrease in the issuance of tourism and business visas in the included nations.

The government justified the measure as a central effort to curb unregulated immigration in countries whose nationals tend to exceed the permitted length of stay.

— El NacionalExplaining the U.S. government's rationale for the visa bond policy.

Despite the U.S. administration's justifications, migrant rights organizations and activists have criticized the new rule. They argue that the bonds impose a discriminatory economic barrier, disproportionately affecting citizens from developing countries seeking legal entry into the United States.

These bonds raise a disproportionate economic barrier to access legal entry routes, directly affecting citizens from developing countries.

— Migrant rights organizations and activistsCriticizing the U.S. visa bond policy.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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