U.S. requires visa recipients from 12 other countries to post $15,000 deposit

The expanded visa bond program, which takes effect on April 2, requires foreign nationals to pay $15,000 for a business and tourist B1 or B2 visa. The official said the move was aimed at preventing tourists from overstaying their visas. New countries included in the visa bond program include Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia.The official said the deposit will be refunded to visa recipients who return home in compliance with the terms of their visa and deposit or who did not travel in the first place. State Department officials said the program reduced the number of people who overstayed their visas. (This is a Reuters report)