The US State Department announced the addition of 12 countries to a growing list of nations whose citizens must pay guarantees of up to US$15,000 to apply for US visas, starting April 2.
Passport holders from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia will be required to pay the guarantee, which is refunded if the visa application is denied or, if granted, if the person adheres to the terms of the visa.
“The visa guarantee program has already proven effective in drastically reducing the number of visa recipients who overstay their visas and remain in the U.S. illegally,” the department said, adding that nearly 97% of the nearly 1,000 people who paid the guarantee did not overstay their visas.
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With the addition, there will be a total of 50 nations whose citizens are subject to this requirement, which was implemented by US President Donald Trump’s administration last year as it stepped up the fight against visa overstays and, more broadly, moved to restrict illegal migration.
