US to require visa bonds for some immigrants under pilot programme

The administration of US President Donald Trump is launching a pilot programme that will require some immigrants applying for US immigrant visas to post financial bonds of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars to demonstrate their financial self-sufficiency.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed that the new requirement will apply to applicants who have previously been denied visas under the "public charge" provision, which is used when authorities believe an applicant may become dependent on government assistance, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Washington Free Beacon.

The amount of the bond will be determined individually by US consulates and, in some cases, could reach $100,000 or $250,000.

The State Department said the programme is intended to protect public funds from additional costs associated with foreign nationals who may require expensive medical treatment or other forms of government assistance.

"Immigrating to the United States is a privilege, not a right. Those who seek to obtain that privilege must be capable of demonstrating that they will be a benefit—rather than a burden—to our nation," a State Department spokesperson told The Washington Free Beacon.

The official added that immigrants entering the United States "should contribute to our society more than they take from it."

The bond may be cancelled after five years if the immigrant has not received government cash assistance for income support or spent an extended period in publicly funded institutions.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov