Starting Aug. 20, a new visa program could require some travelers to pay a deposit of up to $15,000 for a business or tourist visa. It comes as an effort to dissuade travelers from overstaying and to bar entry from countries where screening travel requirements seem dubious. How will this affect Filipino travelers?

As of now, the pilot program only affects countries that the US finds to have high overstay rates. Currently, this includes citizens from Zambia and Malawi. A notice from the US state department states: Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program." Consular officers will be able to charge those applying for visas a bond amounting $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000.  

Zambia and Malawi are the initial countries affected by the pilot program. This list could expand in the future as the US starts to observe which countries have high overstay rates. This comes after a travel ban was recently imposed on 12 countries (Afghanistan, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Myanmar, and Yemen). Partial restrictions were also set for Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. As of writing, the Philippines has not been included in any bans or restrictions. 

While the Philippines remains seemingly unaffected, eager travelers can refer to the US Embassy or the US Department of State websites for any further updates. As of writing, there are no bonds imposed on Filipino travelers, and visa applications for Filipinos remain unchanged.