US introduces new visa rules to require $15,000 bond from 12 more countries

President Donald Trump’s administration will require citizens from 50 countries to post a $15,000 bond when applying for US entry. The bond applies specifically to B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourism) visas.

However, the expanded program, which added 12 new nations to an existing list of 38, goes into effect on April 2. The Trump administration aims to use these bonds as a financial deterrent to prevent visitors from overstaying their visas.

Under the refund terms, the $15,000 will be returned to recipients if they comply with their visa terms and return home, or if they choose not to travel at all after receiving the visa.

The newly added countries include Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.

The official said bonds will be returned to visa recipients who return home in compliance with the terms of the visa and the bond, or do not travel in the first place. Since taking office last January, Trump, a Republican, has pursued a hard-line immigration policy, including an aggressive deportation drive, revocations of visas and green cards, and screens of social media posts.

This move is part of a broader hard-line immigration policy that includes travel bans, aggressive deportations, and social media screening to improve domestic security. Human rights groups have condemned these policies, arguing they undermine due process and free speech.

The 38 nations previously included are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cote, d’Ivoire, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.