Afghans face paying a $15,000 bond for US visitor visa

The US announced Monday that it will introduce a six-month trial program from next month to force visitors from 23 countries, including Afghanistan, to post thousands of dollars as security before they enter the United States.

The aim, first spelled out in a presidential memorandum early last year, is to discourage travelers from countries with high rates of visa offenders from overstaying their business and tourism visas.

In an official document issued this week by the US State Department, Washington said: “The Pilot Program is designed to apply to nationals of specified countries with high overstay rates to serve as a diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to take all appropriate actions to ensure their nationals timely depart the United States after making temporary visits.”

The program will run for six months and “during that period, consular officers may require nonimmigrant visa applicants falling within the scope of the Pilot Program to post a bond in the amount of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance,” the official notice read.

“The amount of the bond, should a bond be appropriate, will be determined by the consular officer based on the circumstances of the visa applicant.”

The program does not apply to immigrant visas but targets business (B-1) and tourism (B-2) visas from 23 countries including Afghanistan and Iran.