The US has made it mandatory for citizens of 50 countries, including Nepal, to get visa bonds up to $ 20,000
. The US has made it mandatory for citizens of 50 countries to have visa bonds ranging from $ 10,000 to $ 20,000 for applicants of B-1÷B-2 visas for tourist and business purposes. Citizens of Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan are also included in the new system, while Indian citizens are exempted from it.
The U. S. State Department on Friday released a revised list of countries that must submit financial bonds before receiving B-1
÷B-2 visas. Nationals of the countries on the list will have to deposit $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 in bonds, as determined by the consular officer during the visa interview.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this provision came into effect from January 21 for the citizens of Nepal and Bangladesh. Bhutan was included in the list from January 1. Other countries in Africa, the Caribbean, Central Asia and the Pacific are also on the list.
According to the U. S. Department of State, the program is operated under Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This provision gives consular officers the authority to request bonds from applicants before issuing visas.
The program came into effect after the final rule was issued on August 3. The State Department said that the B-1÷B-2 visa overstay data released by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security was used to determine which countries are subject to the bond.
Applicants who wish to submit the bond must fill out Form 1-352 from the Department of Homeland Security. The bond must then be submitted through the U. S. Treasury Department’s digital payment system, pay. gov.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that the applicant should not pay the bond amount in advance unless the consular officer directs him to submit the bond.
The bond can be submitted by the applicant himself or by third parties such as relatives, friends and business partners. If all the conditions of the bond are met, the amount will be returned to the depositor.
However, the U. S. State Department has said that submitting a bond does not guarantee that the visa will be approved. The bond program also provides a route for entry and exit into the U. S. for those who have received a visa. They must use commercial flights and airports with U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pre-clearance facilities.
They will not be allowed to enter the United States by normal flights, charter planes, seaports, or land routes. If the terms of the bond are suspected, the matter will be evaluated by the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The US government has said that this bond program is aimed at controlling visa overstay for temporary tourists and business travel. On the basis of this, the past visa overstay data of the citizens of the respective countries is taken. (ANI)
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