Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica are the only two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries named by the United States whose citizens will now have to post a bond of up to US$15,000 when applying for a visa to enter the North American country.
The US State Department said that the measure come sinto effect from January 21, this year and the only other Caribbean country named is Cuba. The majority of the countries whose citizens would need to post the bond are from Africa.
‘Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview,’ the State Department said in a statement.
‘The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352. Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov. This requirement applies regardless of place of application,’ it added.
It said that the applicants should submit Form I-352 to post a bond only after a consular officer directs them to do so.
(Details in Full News section)