U.S. may require visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 -- The State Department is proposing requiring applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, a move that may make the process unaffordable for many.
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the department said it would start a 12-month pilot programme under which people from countries with high overstay rates and deficient internal document security controls could be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when they apply for a visa.
Last week, the State Department announced that many visa renewal applicants would have to submit to an additional in-person interview, something that was not required in the past. In addition, the department is proposing that applicants for the Visa Diversity Lottery programme have valid passports from their country of citizenship. A preview of the bond notice, posted on the Federal Register website, said the pilot programme will take effect within 15 days of its formal publication. aP...
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