New Trump rule may require some African tourists to pay up to $15,000 in bonds

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. News
November 23, 2020 12:08 PM Updated 2 days ago

New Trump rule may require some African tourists to pay up to $15,000 in bonds

By Ted Hesson
3 Min Read

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The outgoing administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday issued a new temporary rule that could require tourist and business travelers from two dozen countries, most in Africa, to pay a bond of as much as $15,000 to visit the United States.

The U.S. State Department said the temporary final rule, which takes effect Dec. 24 and runs through June 24, targets countries whose nationals have higher rates of overstaying B-2 visas for tourists and B-1 visas for business travelers. The Trump administration said the six-month pilot program aims to test the feasibility of collecting such bonds and will serve as a diplomatic deterrence to overstaying the visas.

Trump, who lost a re-election bid earlier this month, made restricting immigration a central part of his four-year term in office. President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, has pledged to reverse many of the Republican president’s immigration policies, but untangling hundreds of changes could take months or years.

Biden’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment related to the visa bond requirement.

The visa bond rule will allow U.S. consular officers to require tourist and business travelers from countries whose nationals had an “overstay rate” of 10% or higher in 2019 to pay a refundable bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-travel-idUSKBN2832IR

[jimfields33]

1. We have a pandemic. I doubt anybody is coming here rightfully so.

Dumb rule. Not different then all the other dumb rules he put in place.

[karynnj]

2. For anyone with a planned trip in December - and likely early 2021 for tourists,

will already have the flights and hotel reservations - possibly nonrefundable.

My husband and I have traveled (pre covid) and I can not imagine being told we have to post a bond of that size. For further out travel, it would likely eliminate that country as one we want to visit.