Travellers to the United States (U.S.) with a record of high visa overstays may need to pay $15,000 that will be refunded upon their return, in a move to deter visa overstays.

The scheme is scheduled to commence from August 20, according to a government notice published on Monday. It will apply to B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrant visas, and those who will pay the bonds will have to enter and depart from the U.S from a list of airports.

The target countries are those with high rates of visa overstays, including Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar and Yemen. African countries such as Burundi, Djibouti and Togo which also had high overstay rates, from fiscal year 2023 according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, may be affected.

The U.S. State Department was unable to estimate the number of visa applicants who could be affected by the change.

This pilot scheme which was recently launched could require tourists and business travellers from selected countries to pay either of these tiers: $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 in a renewed effort to deter overstays.  Consular officials are generally expected to require a minimum of $10,000.

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Under the initiative, U.S. consular officers will have the discretion to impose financial bonds on applicants from nations with historically high rates of visa overstays. The measure may also apply to individuals from countries where screening and vetting procedures are considered inadequate,

The move forms part of a broader immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump, who has made border security and illegal immigration central themes of his administration.

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Earlier in June, Trump issued a travel ban affecting citizens from 19 countries, citing national security concerns.

A similar visa bond pilot was introduced in November 2020 during the final months of Trump’s first term, but was never fully implemented due to the sharp decline in global travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department confirmed that specific criteria will be used to determine which countries are subject to the bond requirement, and noted that the list may be revised as the programme progresses.

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“Countries will be identified based on high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations,” the spokesperson said.

The U.S. Congress under the  Republican party, had passed a provision in July to create a $250 visa integrity fee for anyone approved for a non-immigrant visa that could potentially be reimbursable for those who comply with visa rules. The $250 fee goes into effect on October 1.

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U.S. Travel said that fee could hinder travel and said “if implemented, the U.S. will have one of, if not the highest, visitor visa fees in the world.”