Washington, March 18 (NationPress) The United States is set to broaden its visa bond program to include 50 nations starting April 2. This initiative mandates that foreign applicants seeking B1 and B2 visas for business or tourism purposes must provide a $15,000 bond, as disclosed by the State Department on Wednesday.

The bond will be refunded to visa holders who adhere to the conditions of their stay and depart from the U.S. punctually, or if they choose not to travel.

This strategy aims to mitigate illegal overstays, which U.S. officials claim have seen a significant drop due to the program's implementation. According to the State Department, “Nearly 1,000 foreign nationals have been granted visas through this program, and 97% of those with bonds have returned to their home countries on schedule.”

In stark contrast, the last year of the previous administration recorded over 44,000 visitors from the 50 countries currently involved in the visa bond initiative who overstayed their visas, as stated in the fact sheet.

The expansion on April 2 will introduce 12 new countries to this policy, namely: Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.

These nations will join the existing 38 countries already subject to the visa bond requirement, which includes Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The State Department indicated that the program may be further expanded based on a variety of immigration risk factors, suggesting that more countries could be added in the future depending on trends in overstays and compliance data.

Officials have also highlighted the financial rationale behind this policy, presenting it as a cost-saving measure for U.S. taxpayers.

“The average cost to taxpayers for removing an undocumented individual from the United States exceeds $18,000,” the department stated.

By reducing overstays, the visa bond initiative is projected to save U.S. taxpayers up to $800 million annually that would otherwise be allocated for the removal of individuals who overstay.

The visa bond requirement is specifically applicable to short-term B1 and B2 visas, which are commonly issued for business travel, tourism, and family visits. The bond serves as a financial assurance to guarantee compliance with visa regulations.

B1 and B2 visas continue to be among the most frequently issued non-immigrant visas, particularly for short-term travel. Overstay rates have been a critical metric for U.S. authorities to evaluate immigration risks from particular countries and to adjust visa policies accordingly.