? BREAKING: Secretary Marco Rubio is now considering forcing a $15,000 bond be paid on new visa applicants.
The visa process is now being TIGHTENED.
I voted for this.
“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, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program.”
The State Department is considering a proposal that would require applicants for business and tourist visas to post bonds of up to $15,000, which could render the process unaffordable for many individuals.
In a notice set to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the department announced a 12-month pilot program that would obligate individuals from countries with high overstay rates and inadequate internal document security to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 when applying for a visa.
This initiative aligns with the Trump administration’s efforts to tighten visa application requirements. Last week, the State Department revealed that many visa renewal applicants would now be required to undergo in-person interviews, a new requirement not previously enforced. Additionally, the department is proposing that participants in the Visa Diversity Lottery program possess valid passports from their country of citizenship.
A preview of the bond notice published on the Federal Register website on Monday indicated that the pilot program would commence within 15 days of its official publication. This move aims to protect the U.S. government from financial liability should a visitor fail to comply with the terms of their visa.
According to the notice, “Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure who are nationals of countries identified by the department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship without a residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program.”
The specific countries impacted by this requirement will be announced once the program is implemented, and the bond may be waived based on an applicant’s individual circumstances.
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Notably, the bond requirement would not extend to citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows travel for business or tourism for up to 90 days. Most of the 42 countries enrolled in this program are located in Europe, with others in Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.
While visa bonds have been proposed in the past, they have never been put into practice. The State Department has historically been hesitant about implementing such a requirement due to the complicated process of posting and discharging a bond and the potential for public misunderstanding.
However, the department now argues that previous stances “are not supported by any recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have not generally been required in any recent period.”[/read]