(AP) — The State Department is proposing requiring applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, a move that may make the process unaffordable for many.
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the department said it would start a 12-month pilot program under which people from countries deemed to have high overstay rates and deficient internal document security controls could be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when they apply for a visa.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration is tightening requirements for visa applicants. Last week, the State Department announced that many visa renewal applicants would have to submit to an additional in-person interview, something that was not required in the past. In addition, the department is proposing that applicants for the Visa Diversity Lottery program have valid passports from their country of citizenship.
A preview of the bond notice, which was posted on the Federal Register website on Monday, said the pilot program would take effect within 15 days of its formal publication and is necessary to ensure that the U.S. government is not financially liable if a visitor does not comply with the terms of his or her visa.
“Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure and who are nationals of countries identified by the department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program,” the notice said.
The countries affected will be listed once the program takes effect, it said. The bond could be waived depending on an applicant’s individual circumstances.
The bond would not apply to citizens of countries enrolled in the Visa Waiver Program, which enables travel for business or tourism for up to 90 days. The majority of the 42 countries enrolled in the program are in Europe, with others in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere.
Visa bonds have been proposed in the past but have not been implemented. The State Department has traditionally discouraged the requirement because of the cumbersome process of posting and discharging a bond and because of a possible misperceptions by the public.
However, the department said that previous view “is not supported by any recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have not generally been required in any recent period.”
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Very soon, going to the moon and back might be easier than going to the United States.
Fuck Trump, Fuck Marco Rubio, and Fuck the entire administration. Let’s hope their tourism product dies a horrible death. Fucking idiots.
AMEN TO THAT ! Europe and Canada nah refuse ah we…….#RedneckDunce
It is unexpected and a burden for many.
But do really think this will have a negative impact of the US economy?
The architects of this new policy think it will boost grow the US economy.
The British Empire and the European Nations that abused the citizens of the Caribbean are the one who you all must be angry at. America is still taking care of her territories in the Caribbean.
Don’t forget without American Tourist dollars, the Caribbean is fucked.
There will be no negative impact on the American embassy, it’s not there for us, it’s there for American citizens and eves dropping and control our election by selecting suitable marionette who is pliable to the dictate of Americans acquiring land resources etc. most of our prime minister don’t tell you they have to take phone call from the American embassy to validate them as prime minister.
I am so proud to be Antiguan, how can I be upset over another man’s land, if china comes here and set up manufacturing plants here you see how important we become to the USA, or if they build an artificial island nearby as a free trade zone for their goods to be sold to us bypassing American products, that would be so hurtful to the USA.
As Antiguan we have to stop sending off our girlfriend and wives to have babies in the USA, have your babies in Antigua and be proud of your flag, is because we lack patriotism and nationalism why we are denied a visiting visa to the USA, we need to stop romanticize another man country over our own.
Only then their may be reciprocity, we may one day require a visa from Americans too, even though we are a tourist country.
Only education and manufacturing and resources can change our circumstances.
And for our prime minister who loves to give white people land, that same embassy is there to protect white property, they can call in their army to protect their people every inch of soil you sell to Americans or white people becomes a property of that country and the embassies are here to concretize that by force, it is not an Antiguan piece a real estate once they get it, and it is put on the American market, I don’t know how our people could be so foolish to think america puts an embassy here to help us?
I just knew that Eldead would have found a piece of string to draw our Hon P.M. into his rambling rant! Poor him!
When you check the history of Donald Trump and that of his father you can tell they never cared for BLACK or BROWN people and that is with doubt. The few blacks Trump keeps around are pawns in his game to give the impression he cares about them and the dumb ones in America fall for it, they are getting what they deserve
@Eldresd,
The University of the West Indies (UWI) was established in 1948.
Initially, it functioned as the University College of the West Indies, an external college of the University of London, in Mona, Jamaica.
In 1962, it gained independence from the University of London and was renamed the University of the West Indies.
Its first school was a medical school.
My point Elread: First, the British created the school for it did not wish to see too many students from the West Indies in its classrooms. Even though UWI has a medical school for decades; as well as Off Shore Medical Schools, the Caribbean still employs the Cuban medical brigade.
Second In term of self sufficiency and economic development. We continue to look for the European and Asians to teach us how to grow our own food.
We adopt every slang and word that comes about with regard to our failures. With regards to food we say we are suffering from “food insecurity”
The fact is our policies towards growing our own food consists of gimmicks, useless meeting and getting pictures taken in the Picture Newspaper “Observer Newspaper.”
We could become self sufficient in our own produced food with storage capacity in the event of natural disasters.
With so much “SUN” we should be only using fossil fuel as a backup. But we go to international aid agencies crying about being the victims riding seas as a result of global warming.
Most of our protein is imported when we can produce our own on island and in the region. The fruits and vegetable in the supermarket consists of wilted shipped in GMO crops harvested 30 days ago. Many from Mexico by way of the US
We send delegates to China; and they send their representatives to Antigua (only) never to Barbuda. Always sbout growing veggies we can grow in our own.
Have you seen any delegation from China in Antigua whose visit is about “knowledge transfer” with regards to anything about manufacturing?
Palantir stock surges after company reports first billion-dollar quarter.
A billion dollars in profits for a tech company and its stocks has surged.
They a defense and Digital systems company.
The US educated Chinese graduate student who are now powering China and Hong Kong were in the study halls and US universities labs grinding out research while American students were cheering their sports teams.
Antigua and Barbuda students return with degrees from paper-mill universities with their masters and PHDs on their chests looking for accolades and a cushy job.
The Foriegn Minister Greene at el were at UWI Five Islands for the 2nd Conference in Ai with jargon speeches about Ai of which they have no clue.
After the Carnival wink-up our country Prime Minister will be at the UN General Assembly conference following up on the perceived win at the ICJ where he testified that Antigua took on debt to rebuild Barbuda.
That’s a bold face lie unless he is referring to housing them at the Barrymore Hotel and at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
The point is we live in a society of poverty of knowledge, denial reality
I hold no malice against you Eldread. You are among a few who DO NOT live in desperate denial. You call the shots honestly.
The fact is: Caribbean Institutions are failing its people.
Among them: It’s Judicial System; its media; its academic institutions CARICOM and its religious institutions.
We will be ever subjected to the wims of the Trumps of the world; until we honestly face reality and be less selfish.
Screw America. I hope black people the world over have opened their eyes to the real Satan. The grass was never, ever greener over there. We went and did crappy jobs and worked 2 and 3 jobs and lived in the snow and the cold. But we convinced ourselves that it was better, ignoring the fact that we gave up paradise for the American dream that was primarily available to rich, white people. And while we were gone our politicians, led by Chet, colluded with white people to take over English Harbour. The Chinese and Arabs control commerce. Rubio has now forced us to open our eyes and face reality.
@Visionary,
Yes Donald Trump grandfather was a German name Trumf.
His father marched with the KKK in Queens. Their housing company in Queens was financed by Government FHA loans. They discriminated against blacks and got away with it.
The very liberals of NYC and elsewhere who are kicking up a noise made Donald Trump.
It was the late Robert Morganthou The Manhattan District Attorney who was a darling of NY liberal society who introduced Donald Trump to the NYC old-world gentility set. Before that he was considered just an outer-borough hick.
He then paid a publicist to get him on the covers of all the NY liberal magazines with glowing articles.
When he was going bankrupt, NBC the network he now calls fake-news, introduced him to rural as well as weathy America; with their latent racist mindset.
The NBC network and a London cockney East Ender saved him with the Apprentice program.
Morgantown saved him again with the Grand Hyatt. That story bigger than the Epstein story. (It has a relationship to the Democratic legislators leaving to Illinois that’s in today’s news.)
In addition when Trump kids were caught defrauding purchaser’s on a Soho condo, Cyrus Vance jr the Manhattan DA and another liberal favorite took campaign from Trumps attorney and let them off the hook.
Cyrus Vance later said he did not have enough to prosecute Trump Company for tax fraud.
With Trump being on the US liberals shit list Cyrus Vance Jr. choose not to run for re-election
That how Alvin Braggs an African American ran; succeed Vance snd successfully convicted Trumps company and his executives.
I’m no fan of Trump and the racists that supports him.
Neither am I a fan of the liberals who aided and abetted Donald Trump to get where he is and to be doing the things he is doing.
Bottomline: Watch out for the Racist as well as the liberals. History needs no vision.
I love the Analysis on the comment section mostly, the one that lay emphasis on the knowledge denial,most black folks nation’s are underdeveloped simply because they have limited knowledge of invention and innovation.
Ethiopia is the only black nation that was not colonized by any Western Union nation’s but,my experience in the ancient nation of Addis Ababa upon my short transit visit left me wondering about the backwardness of black people.
Until black folks nation’s embrace knowledge acquisition on modern technologies, innovation and research to enhance self production and self reliance,it will be echoed in a circle of ignorance and poverty.
Not surprising our shallow minds will blame it all on Trump. Before Trump how many black nations were included in the US VISA WAIVER PROGRAM? The answer is none up to this present day. The many past US administration including one lead by a black man(Obama) could not find one black nation to include on this list for free entry into the US yet most of white Europe is included and will not be subject to any 15k bond. It is time we stop this addiction of attaching ourselves to foreign nations as beggars, going to America to have our babies so that they can be American citizen and forgetting about our own development. If Trump is a racist it is a problem for America not us.Trump is just opening our eyes to what American foreign policy is all about something he was voted to do. All of Europe is tightening their border controls to keep us out using all types of excuses and all we can do is make empty political statements.
It is clear that Donald Trump dows not want poor people in his country. Black people will lie and beg to get a US visa. Some people cry at windows, spend all their savings. To venture into a country that treats them like aliens. Lol. Stay and develop uour countries. Live a life of freedom.
What’s Crazy if we did this…They would try to invade…Cause of their Bad Mindset..This is all about lining their pockets…Everyone who is part of this INCOMPETENT CIRCUS 🤡.. is doing everything illegal for financial self gain..Immigrants are the FOUNDATION of America…and these …are trying to change years of HISTORY…
@SILVEE FOX…🤛🏽#nuff said!
Can they handle the truth?
Jumbee Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg🦶🏾Garrat_Bastard
Vere Edwards
@ Okàfor Kc,
See even when we are provided the historical information, our people are only interested in the low brow culture of the internet.
Carnival is suppose to represent emancipation. Our illustrious leader wineing on his wife in public is widely seen and discussed as cute.
THATS OUR CULTURE… CIBE WITH IT!!
We are consumed by this type of behaviour and entertainment rather than anything else of substance.
Those of us who had any knowledge; are aware that it’s Africans that invented the worlds first
Metalrologist research and invention which was stolen.
Many slaves were taken from the Sugar Antigua Factory to Jamaica where their work was discovered by the British Industrialist
They dismantled the factory designed by constructed by African working as slaves.
That factory which was stolen is credited in ushering in the British Industrial Revolution.
The Clowns around here calling for reparation has no clue of the history that can make the case for reparations.
Another group is talking about Ai when they have no clue what Ai is all about.
How are they going teach Ai when the students hardly know calculus and deferential equations.
They are going to offer degrees in Ai but with no one in the faculty having an advance degree in machine learning.
The locals running around with PHDs on their chest are too dumb or afraid to point out the fallacy and the misinformation.
We can be manufacturing if we set our mind to it. Who is going to be the one responsible when we are promised an economic powerhouse from begging and begging and more beginning
What we have gotten is bluster and junkets from place to place with hat in hand.
Think about it. Many of the same Billionaires to whom we an are giving away Barbuda are supporting Trump.
You don’t have to believe me. Do your research and prove me wrong.
The US proposal for a visa bond, especially if linked to our Citizenship by Investment program, is a direct challenge to our national sovereignty. While we must address security concerns, a blanket bond requirement is not the answer.
This is pure discrimination. They just don’t want poor black and brown people visiting. Plain and simple
I got family in the States, but even they not worth $15K! I staying right ya! 😂
Has this been confirmed? Until then maybe we shouldn’t overreact. Ant there are other places besides the US to travel to
@Informed Citizen
What’s the answer !!
@Audley Phillip,
Many have to no reason and or desire to go to the moon unless they think that where Heaven is.
A whole lot of Antiguans and Barbudans want a visitors visa to the US for one purpose only.
Many pregnancies as a result of Carnival 2025 will have to give birth in Antigua and not in the US as is customary.
Don’t be surprised if Soon the US State Department audits all those tourism birth of years gone by and deny them citizenship.
Tgry are already talking about taking away birthright Citizenship. So don’t think lightly about this.
A wise verse in the Bible says “When riches increase they are increased that eat them.” A few years back I lived in a certain neighbourhood in Antigua. I waited for months to afford furniture, some was obtained on credit with payments I had to make monthly for years. I searched for great deals. I researched how to decorate. I mixed and matched simple affordable items to create a comfy living space. Then guess what? People begun inviting themselves over. At first I was happy to share my space with others but then guess what else? They never wanted to leave! They showed up early in the morning before I could even make breakfast or take a bath. I had to insist they come back later. They came back and invited themselves to stay for lunch. They refused to leave by evening. I couldn’t even cook dinner in peace. They stayed in my place until 9 and 10 at night before finally leaving. I couldn’t get enough sleep. If I asked them to leave earlier. They got annoyed. How dare I do such? They invited their friends over to my place. Their friends relaxed on my couch like they owned the place. They even tried to throw a party in my home with their friends! They jumped around on my furniture. They damaged my bathroom. The landlord refused to fix it even though they were his friends and tenants as well. I started locking my door and only doing yard chores early in the morning whilst they were still sleeping because once they saw an open door they took it as an invitation to enter uninvited. I could not function well in my own home to eat, sleep, clean up, just live, let alone enjoy the comfy space I had created! They banged on the locked door over and over even when told now wasn’t a good time. One even threw a rock through a window after being asked to leave. Eventually, because the door was always locked they stopped coming around. I eventually moved out. At my new place I keep the furniture simple and basic. No one tries to come in. I can enjoy my boring place in peace. I can get things done. I can enjoy my home. Now my visitors were mostly neighbours’ children visiting my child and refusing to leave so they can be forgiven but this story illustrates how people feel when others invade their life. It’s not about race. They let in others who are less tempted to stay because they already have a nice home of their own. We should work on creating our own nice home where we are and spend some time there instead of demanding to be in someone else’s space excessively. Then, we would be more welcome to visit from time to time.
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