Amid a continued decline of international travelers coming to the United States, the Trump Administration is announcing another steep new fee for would-be visitors.
The U.S. could soon require bonds of as much as $15,000 for some tourists and business visas, Reuters is reporting.
The new program, aimed at ensuring visitors won’t overstay their visas, is slated to begin in two weeks, according to a government notification published Monday.
Under the new program, U.S. consular officers would be able to impose bonds on visitors who are arriving from countries that are perceived to have high rates of visa overstays, a Federal Register notice said. The bond could also be charged for individuals arriving from countries where “screening and vetting information is deemed insufficient,” according to the notice.
Though it remains unclear what the U.S. government considers “insufficient” vetting.
The Trump Administration has focused heavily on the issue of immigration. That has included issuing a travel ban in June that impacts 19 nations, either fully or partially prohibiting visitors from those countries.
News of the new program comes just weeks after the Trump Administration announced that it is preparing to implement one of the steepest visa fees worldwide for tourists interested in visiting this country, along with business visitors. The recent passage of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act brought with it the adoption of a new “visa integrity fee” that will cost about $250 to start.
The integrity fee is a new fee that will be charged on top of all existing US entry fees and will apply to all visitors who need a nonimmigrant visa to enter the United States. That includes tourists, business travelers and international students. The cost for the fee is not eligible to be waived.
Industry reaction to the integrity fee was swift and highly critical. In a statement shared with TravelPulse at the time, the U.S. Travel Association call the integrity fee a “giant leap backwards” for U.S. tourism.
“This fee, which will be at least $250 and comes on top of existing visa fees, adds an unnecessary financial barrier for international visitors,” U.S. Travel Association Senior Vice President of Government Relations Erik Hansen said in a statement. “Among the top deterrents to visiting the U.S. are cost and visa wait times. And the new visa integrity fee increases the upfront costs of visiting the U.S. 144%, while doing nothing to lower interview wait times.”
Travel to the United States has declined significantly under the Trump Administration with visitors from other countries alienated by Trump’s policies and rhetoric opting to go elsewhere.
In particular, Canadians have increasingly taken their vacation dollars to other countries in protest of the tariffs the Trump Administration has imposed on our historic ally to the north. The decision of Canadians to travel elsewhere is also a rebuke of Trump’s rhetoric surrounding the U.S. annexing Canada and Canada being the so-called 51st state.
In addition, travelers from other countries around the world have said the U.S. has lost its appeal as a destination under the Trump Administration. Many are put off by the detention of tourists at U.S. borders.
A recent survey conducted by CNBC revealed that nearly 80 percent of Southeast Asian travelers say the United States is “losing its appeal as a travel destination.” According to the survey, such sentiments are being driven by fears surrounding potential discrimination, actions by the Trump administration and widespread gun violence in the United States.
A ranking of the fears expressed by Southeast Asians with regard to visiting the U.S. shows the prevailing fears in this order:
- Concerns about discrimination/treatment of Asian travelers: 60%
- Actions by Trump Administration: 54%
- Gun violence: 53%
- Costs: 41%
- Tariff announcements: 38%
- Border detentions: 37%
- Election of Trump: 34%
- Visa requirements: 32%
- Travel advisories by my government: 15%
Meanwhile, transatlantic airfares dropped to rates last seen before the COVID-19 pandemic in May and travel from Canada and Mexico to the U.S. fell by 20% year-over-year, according to Reuters.
Details of new pilot program
The new bond program would take effect August 20 for a one year pilot run.
Under the program, consular officers can charge visa applicants bonds ranging from from $5,000 to $10,000 or even $15,000. But it is generally be expected that the charge will be at least $10,000, according to the federal notification.
The State Department was not able to provide any estimate of the number of visa applicants who might be affected by the change, per Reuters.
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