Reuters published on 23 November 2020 an article titled "New Trump Rule May Require Some African Tourists to Pay Up to $15,000 in Bonds" by Ted Hesson.
The outgoing Trump administration issued a new temporary rule that could require tourist and business travelers from 24 countries, including 15 in Africa, to pay a bond of as much as $15,000 to visit the United States.
The Department of State published on 24 November 2020 the "Visa Bond Pilot Program." Countries whose nationals have overstay rates of 10 percent or higher are included in the pilot program. The 15 African countries are: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chad, DRC, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sudan.
Comment: This is one more landmine left by the departing Trump administration. The problem of visa overstays by tourists and business visitors dates back many decades and does tend to be higher for nationals of certain countries. The problem with this solution is that it seems to be predicated on two premises: payment of a bond before travelling to the US will discourage overstaying and foreign countries need to do more to prevent the practice.
Payment of a bond will prevent most low income visitors intending to remain in the United States from travelling to our shores. They will find it difficult to pay the bond. It will have little or no impact on the wealthy visitors who can afford to forego up to $15,000. The idea that foreign countries can prevent this practice by their nationals is ludicrous. This is a personal decision made by each person who obtains an American visa. What can a foreign government do about that? Finally, what is magical about the 10 percent overstay number? If a country has a 9 percent overstay rate, there apparently is no problem.
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