The Department of State in the United States is reportedly set to roll out a pilot program that will lead to foreign nationals posting bonds of up to $15,000 (close to Sh2 million) in order to be allowed to enter the country.
The $15,000 visa bond will be refundable once the visa applicant leaves the United States out of their own volition, within the specified timelines, and without violating the terms of their visa in any way. Should they cause a violation, the bond shall be forfeited to the government of the United States.
According to a preview of a bond notice posted on the Federal Register, the pilot program will run for a period of about twelve months. During this period, consular officers could require certain business and tourist visa applicants to post guarantee bonds of USD 5,000, USD10,000 or USD15,000.
“The Pilot Program will enable the Department to assess the operational feasibility of posting, processing, and discharging visa bonds, in coordination with the Department of the Treasury (‘Treasury’) and the Department of Homeland Security (‘DHS’), and to inform any future decision concerning the possible use of visa bonds to ensure nonimmigrants using these visa categories comply with the terms and conditions of their visas and timely depart the United States,” the notice on the Federal Register stated.
These requirements will target specific countries whose citizens the United States considers as having a higher likelihood of overstaying their visas or using their visas as a bridge to seeking asylum.
“Countries will be identified based on high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations,” news organization Reuters quoted a spokesperson from the Department of State.
In all likelihood, it is expected that the majority of countries in this list shall be from the African continent.
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