In this video, we're going to talk about the tourist visa bond program.
Yes, you heard it, some applicants from certain countries
are going to place a certain monetary bond before they can apply or receive their tourist visa.
In this video, we'll explain to you the final rule, which countries are impacted by this,
and what you need to know before you apply for a tourist visa next time. So, let's jump right in.
Welcome to our Immigration channel. This is a place where you can get the latest
information about immigration news, immigration updates, and everything else you need to know
to make your immigration journey less stressful. My name is Jacob Sapochnik. And I'm an immigration
attorney located in San Diego, California. Yes, San Diego. And I represent clients in all 50
States and around the world. If you’re here for the first time, don't forget to click the
notification bell so you don't miss any of our videos. And also, give us a big like so YouTube
will be able to share this video with more people just like you. So, let's talk about visa bonds.
What is it? If you remember in late last year, the Department of State announced a new pilot program,
a visa bond, essentially requiring people to post a monetary bond from certain countries. Those
countries with the highest denial rate in tourist visas, they're going to be required to go through
this process. And so, what does it mean and how is it going to work? The temporary rule will only
apply to applicants applying for a B1, B2, which is the tourist visa from the following countries,
Afghanistan, Angola, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Chad,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, The Gambia, Guinea, Iran, Laos, Liberia,
Libya, Mauritania, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
The second thing is, the applicant is subject to some sort of grounded admissibility,
maybe they were denied a visa before, maybe they had a criminal record, maybe they had some other
issues. And finally, the applicant has an approved 212 B3 Waiver. This is essentially a non-immigrant
waiver. So, for example, if you had some sort of a violation, maybe a minor criminal offense, or
anything that required a waiver, if you have that waiver approved, you qualify to be part of this
pilot program. So, essentially, these people before the pilot program will never be able to
qualify for a visa, right? So, if you are subject to any ground of inadmissibility, and even if you
have a waiver, it will be very difficult for you to get a visa if you come from those countries.
But the pilot program will want to test it and see if it makes sense to do it.
And if these applicants are actually going to come back from their visit, after they spend, here,
some time. This does not apply to anybody who has or holding an ESTA visa waiver. Remember, this is
a very narrow program. We're talking about 200 to 500 visas that may be issued on this program,
and the bond’s amounts are going to range from 5,000 to 50,000 US dollars. So,
what is the process to apply for this bond? First of all, the consular officer will determine if
the applicant qualifies under the requirements of the bond, as I mentioned before. So, for example,
if they have already approved a non-immigrant waiver, and then the consular officer will
determine the amount of the bond 5,000, 10,000, or 50,000. The amount of the bond will depend on
the circumstances of the individual applicant. In some cases, there could be a waiver of that bond,
depends on maybe some humanitarian factors. Or if there's a justified reason to waive the bond,
then the officer will explain to the applicant the procedures to post the bond and they're
going to have to complete ICE bond Form I-352 to be able to process the bond application.
Once the bond is processed, DHS will notify the consulate that the bond has been processed
and then the embassy will contact the applicant to issue the visa. Typically,
the visas are going to be issued up to three months for one single entry. As you know,
typical B1, B2 visas are issued for 10 years, and they're usually multiple entry visas. Now,
remember, this pilot program is designed to see the effectiveness of the bond. So, once again,
this is a new program. And if you're impacted and if you're one of those countries that I mentioned,
then you should be aware that this is a procedure that you may be able to qualify if you meet all
the other requirements, as mentioned in this video. Once again, if you have any questions,
post them in the comments below. If you know anybody that may like this video or may benefit,
make sure to share this video with somebody that may find this information useful.
Once again, if you want a consultation with me, text the number below and I'm more than
happy to set a one-on-one consultation with you and determine if we can help you as well.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in our next video. So, if you like this video,
watch these two videos for more information just like that.