US Imposes Strict Visa Requirements On Tourists
New policy to be implemented from August 20, US State Department spokesperson
Washington: The US State Department has introduced a new visa security bond program for citizens of certain countries coming to the US on tourist and business visas, under which certain applicants will have to deposit up to $15,000 as a guarantee.
According to a US State Department spokesperson, the new policy will be implemented from August 20, which will initially be applied to people holding B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourist) visas.
According to Qatari media, officials say that this pilot program has been designed to discourage citizens of countries where the trend of overstaying (overstaying) among people has increased to an alarming level.
According to US officials, the aim of this measure is to ensure compliance with visa laws and reduce the rate of illegal stay. The bond amount will be temporary and will be refunded to those who return within the legal period.
The State Department has expressed hope that the policy is expected to generate up to $20 million in revenue for the government in the first year itself, while also trying to persuade foreign governments to adopt better screening and identification processes.
It should be recalled that in 2020, the Trump administration introduced a similar plan involving African countries, under which visa bonds were required for certain countries.
According to the news agency, more than 500,000 people were suspected of overstaying their visas in the United States in 2023, which is being described as a major challenge to US immigration policy.
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