State Department mulls bond program to take up to $15K from foreigners who overstay visas

Foreigners who overstay certain visas in the US could soon face penalties of up to $15,000.

The State Department is preparing to launch a yearlong visa pilot program for tourism and business-related entry into the US on Aug. 20, featuring bonds that foreigners from select countries must pay to enter the US.

Those bonds could be $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, according to a Federal Register notice first reported by Reuters. If individuals overstay their visas, they could lose that money.

Foreigners who comply with their visa requirements at the end of their stay will receive their funds back.

The visa bond pilot program is specific to applicants for B-1/B-2 visas — which are used for business and tourism — who hail from countries known for having high overstay rates or where vetting is believed to be subpar.

State Department officials will determine which countries the pilot program will target and announce them within days.

Countries that have faced scrutiny from the Trump administration over visas include: Eritrea, Chad, Haiti, Yemen and Myanmar. Other countries such as Burundi, Djibouti and Togo are known for having elevated visa overstay rates.

The move comes against the backdrop of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration into the US.

Some studies have suggested that more illegal immigration into the US comes from individuals overstaying their visas than crossing the US-Mexico border. This includes one study that pegged visa overstays as 40% of the illegal immigrant population.

The US dealt with an overstay rate of about 1.45% in 2023, according to a report from the Department of Homeland Security.

President Trump has made security at the US-Mexico border and cracking down on illegal immigration a top agenda item during his second term in office.

During the final months of Trump’s first term, the State Department began exploring a similar visa pilot program.

“However, in light of the worldwide reduction in global travel as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department did not implement the pilot and consequently it did not provide any data on the feasibility for full implementation,” the Federal Registar notice explained.

The visa bond pilot program is a direct response to an executive order Trump signed on his first day back in office to combat illegal immigration.

The Post reached out to the State Department for comment.

Trump has crowed about projections that the US could have negative net migration for the first time in 50 years.