TASHKENT, August 3. /Dunyo IA/. The United States Department of State has introduced a permanent Visa Bond Program, which allows for the requirement of a financial bond from certain applicants seeking B-1/B-2 category tourist and business visas, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the U.S. Department of State, under the new program, nationals of certain countries may be required to post a bond of up to 20,000 U.S. dollars as a condition for visa issuance. The measure is aimed at ensuring that foreign nationals comply with the terms of their stay in the United States and depart the country in a timely manner upon expiration of their authorized period of stay.

According to the list published by the U.S. Department of State, nationals of 50 countries are subject to the program. The list includes, among others, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. At the same time, Uzbekistan is not included in this list, and the requirement to post a visa bond when applying for B-1/B-2 visas is currently not applicable to citizens of Uzbekistan.

Countries whose nationals are subject to the program include states from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean region and Oceania, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

As noted in the document, the decision to include a particular country in the program is made based on a number of factors, including the level of visa overstays in the United States, the effectiveness of information sharing with U.S. authorities, the quality of identity verification procedures, and the availability of mechanisms to ensure the security of travel documents.

The U.S. side emphasizes that the visa bond requirement does not constitute an automatic refusal of a visa. If an applicant meets the established eligibility requirements, a consular officer may determine that a bond is required in the amount of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 U.S. dollars. Upon compliance with the visa conditions and timely departure from the United States, the deposited funds will be returned.

Introduction of the program is viewed by the U.S. side as one of the instruments aimed at ensuring compliance with immigration laws and reducing the number of cases involving foreign nationals exceeding their authorized period of stay.

It should be recalled that on August 1, a charter flight from the United States arrived at Tashkent International Airport carrying 18 citizens of Uzbekistan who had been deported for violating U.S. immigration laws. The return of the citizens was made possible through coordinated cooperation between the relevant authorities of Uzbekistan and the United States, which resulted in the completion of the necessary organizational and legal procedures.

Uzbekistan continues to maintain regular cooperation with foreign partners on migration-related issues, including preventing violations of immigration regulations and protecting the rights and legitimate interests of Uzbek citizens abroad.