Washington: The US government has proposed charging some visitors a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the country.

According to a document filed by the State Department and published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, a 12-month pilot programme trialling a bond payment for visa applicants will start on August 20.

The scheme, in effect for a year, will apply to business and tourist visa applicants from countries deemed to have high overstay rates and "deficient" internal document security controls.

Bonds, which would be refunded as long as the visa terms are complied with, could cost applicants $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000.

They will not apply to countries enrolled in the Visa Waiver Program, such as the UK - and could be waived for others depending on an applicant's individual circumstances. A State Department spokesperson told Reuters news agency, however, that the list of countries may be updated "based on high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations".

In the document, the State Department cited Department of Homeland Security data, which showed that in 2023, there were more than 500,000 "suspected in-country overstays" - where people remained in the US past the end of their visa terms.