The U.S. State Department has announced the launch of a pilot program through which some visa applicants will be required to pay a guarantee of up to $15,000 to enter the country. The measure targets citizens of countries with „high rates of overstaying” or deficiencies in identity verification, and is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to combat illegal immigration.
According to a statement published on Monday and picked up by AFP and Reuters, the program will apply to business and tourism visas, set to take effect on August 20 and last for one year.
What the guarantee entails and who is targeted
Consular officers will be able to request a guarantee of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, but "generally, expectations are to request at least $10,000," as stated in the government announcement. The money will be refunded to travelers who leave the U.S. within the legal timeframe established by the visa.
A spokesperson for the State Department stated that countries will be identified "based on high rates of overstaying, deficiencies in control and verification, concerns related to citizenship acquisition through investment without residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations."
List of affected countries has not been published yet
Although the official list of targeted countries has not been made public, official sources mention that many of the states previously included in Trump's travel ban could be affected. These include Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar, and Yemen.
Other African countries such as Burundi, Djibouti, and Togo have also had high rates of overstaying, according to data from the Customs and Border Protection for fiscal year 2023.
Romania is not currently subject to this guarantee.
In addition to the financial guarantee, a legislative package adopted in July by the Republican-controlled Congress introduces a "visa integrity fee" of $250, applicable to all nonimmigrant visas. The amount will be refundable if the beneficiary complies with the visa terms but will come into effect on October 1.
Limited impact, but potentially discouraging effects
The U.S. Travel Association estimates that only about 2,000 individuals will be affected by this pilot program, especially from countries with low travel volumes to the U.S. However, the organization warns that such measures can have a discouraging effect: "If implemented, the U.S. will have one of the highest, if not the highest, visitor visa fees in the world."
A similar program was introduced in November 2020, in the final months of Trump's first term, but was not fully implemented due to the pandemic.
Romania, without Visa Waiver
Romania, which was supposed to enter the Visa Waiver program in March, a program that allows travel to the U.S. without requiring a visa, is facing the cancellation of this decision by the new Trump administration.
In June, Donald Trump issued a travel ban that completely or partially blocks the entry of citizens from 19 countries into the U.S. for national security reasons.
Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has made combating illegal immigration a declared priority.