The U.S. President’s policies suggest a particularly challenging approach toward Haiti and Venezuela.
In a significant policy shift, the Trump’s administration is set to launch a pilot program requiring substantial visa bonds of up to $15,000 from applicants of specific nations, as detailed in a recent Federal Register notice and covered by The Daily Beast.
The program, scheduled for implementation in 15 days, specifically focuses on nationals from countries exhibiting elevated visa overstay rates or those considered to have inadequate vetting protocols.
Haiti and Venezuela are among the primary nations likely to face these measures. During 2023, more than 20,000 citizens from each of these countries exceeded their temporary visa durations. Similar patterns were observed with Brazil, Russia, and India, each recording substantial overstay cases in recent years, according to The Daily Beast.
The mandatory bonds will be set between $5,000 and $15,000, supplementing the existing $185 fee required for B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourism) visas.
These temporary visas permit visitors to remain in the U.S. for up to six months. The administration is also proposing an additional $250 “visa integrity fee” across all temporary visa categories, substantially increasing the financial requirements for applicants.
“This proposed rule will have a major impact on my clients,” immigration attorney Arnoldo Benitez, who practices in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, told The Daily Beast. “Especially when you factor in the recent increases in USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] processing fees.”
The initiative originates from an executive order signed by Donald Trump upon taking office in January 2025, directing the Departments of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security to establish a visa bond framework for enhanced monitoring of temporary stays.
A comparable program was previously announced in November 2020 during the post-election transition but remained unimplemented due to COVID-related travel restrictions, as reported by The Daily Beast noting under current Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s leadership, visa regulations have become notably more stringent.
The State Department has intensified its eligibility requirements, particularly affecting applicants from nations outside the Visa Waiver Program. This program enables visa-free travel for citizens of allied nations such as Japan, Australia, and numerous Western European countries.
Department of Homeland Security statistics indicate that approximately 40% of undocumented individuals in the United States are visa overstayers.
Visa interviews have become increasingly consequential, even for those maintaining legal status. The Daily Beast reported that recently, two foreign nationals — a South Korean student from Purdue University and a Peruvian woman named Keatty — were detained during standard immigration check-ins in New York.
“The threat of detention was always present for undocumented individuals, but it was significantly lower during previous administrations,” attorney Benitez explained, emphasizing that current policies are intensifying pressure on already struggling migrant populations.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, responding to The Daily Beast, stated that the administration aims to “restore the integrity of the visa system and prevent its abuse as a pathway to illegal permanent settlement.”
While the State Department hasn’t released the official roster of nations affected by these new regulations, the anticipated effects have already generated significant anxiety within immigrant communities and among civil rights organizations.
The U.S. embassy in Haiti has been operating with severely limited visa services for several years, compelling many applicants to seek visas through the Dominican Republic. CTN has received information indicating that Haitians pursuing U.S. visas in neighboring countries may soon face additional restrictions.
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