A new temporary rule created by Donald Trump's administration empowers consular services to impose bails of between 5,000 dollars and 15,000 dollars to authorize entry to citizens of countries with high overstay rates for tourist or business visas (B-1 and B-2).
According to a report on the terms of stay in the US, four Portuguese-speaking countries exceed more than 10 percent of permitted stays: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe.
The rule was introduced on Monday by Donald Trump's administration and, according to the State Department, will be in force between December 24 and June 24.
The U.S. consular services will determine amounts of 5000, 10,000 or 15,000 dollars for the "Visa Bond", based on "a consular officer's assessment of what amount is sufficient to guarantee that the foreigner will not remain in the United States after the end of the authorized period.
The temporary rule will serve, according to the State Department, as a "diplomatic instrument" for the governments of the targeted countries to take "all appropriate measures to ensure that their citizens leave the United States in a timely manner" permitted by visas.
The United States has a tolerance of up to 10 percent of oversights before taking diplomatic action against cooperation with foreign governments.
The State Department has relied on the 2019 overstay report published on March 30 this year, which identifies more than 20 countries whose rates are over 10 percent of citizens who entered the United States.
Of these countries, citizens applying for a tourist or business visa (categories B-1 or B-2) will have to obtain a certificate from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to be approved and may have to pay between $5,000 and $15,000 as collateral.
Other countries targeted are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gambia, Yemen, Iran, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Mauritania, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Sudan and Syria.
The new rule will come into effect one month before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has been speaking out against measures imposed by Donald Trump against immigration and entry of citizens of certain foreign countries.
Joe Biden pledged to undo Donald Trump's "Muslim Ban," which began in 2017 and prohibited the entry of citizens of several Muslim-majority countries, as well as other measures imposed by the previous government.
