(Washington) up to $ 15,000: this is the surety that foreigners of certain countries may pay for a visa to go to the United States, as part of a pilot project of the State Department made public on Monday.
The decision, which is to be published Tuesday in the federal register and enter into force 15 days later, is part of the Trump administration measures to combat illegal immigration.
It aims in particular to ensure that visa seekers do not remain in the United States beyond the authorized duration of their stay.
The pilot project must last 12 months and concerns both business and tourism visas, according to the notice of the State Department.
It aims at “nationals of countries identified by the State Department as having high rates of exceeding the authorized length of stay” or those whose “control and verification information is deemed insufficient”, at the discretion of consular agents.
According to the document, some 500,000 people have exceeded the authorized duration of their stay in the United States during the 2023 fiscal year (October to October).
The list of countries targeted has not been provided.
But around forty countries, mainly in Europe, participate in a visa exemption program for a limited period of 90 days.
In recent months, the American president has started to tighten the conditions for granting visas for many countries, notably African, against the backdrop of an anti-immigration offensive in Washington.
On Monday, the United States announced to suspend the issuance of visas to nationals of Burundi, citing “repeated violations” of nationals of this very poor country in Africa of the great lakes.
Since his return to power in January, Donald Trump has made the fight against illegal immigration an absolute priority.
The US State Department has not immediately reacted to AFP request for additional information.
