Visitors from countries with high visa overstays will be targeted. Some 40 percent of undocumented migrants overstay.

US state department has plans to issue bonds for some tourism and business visas, according to a federal notice

Pilot programme intended to be a diplomatic deterrent aimed at countries with high rates of overstays.

State Department to trial programme requiring certain visitors to pay holding bond to enter country

The program would make business and tourist visas unaffordable for many.

A State Department pilot program will tie the cash deposits to tourist and business visas for people from countries with high visa overstay rates.

The State Department wants some foreign tourists and business travelers to guarantee they won’t overstay their visas.

Programme gives consular officers the discretion to impose bonds on visitors from countries with high rates of visa overstays.

A government notice made the announcement on Monday, an effort that aims to crack down on visitors who overstay their visas.

The United States is launching a pilot program that could see some inbound travelers paying bonds of up to $15,000 to enter.

The 12-month pilot programme aims to curb visa overstays, an official notice says.

The U.S. State Department has started a program that will require some visitors to post bonds for as much as $15,000 to obtain a business or tourism visa.

Advocates have denounced the bond scheme as a ‘legalised shakedown’ that profits from vulnerable, lawful travellers.

The pilot program, which will last for about a year, will first apply to visa applicants from Malawi and Zambia.

Visitors from countries with high visa overstays will be targeted. Some 40 percent of undocumented migrants overstay.