Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain on Thursday described Trump administration’s decision of adding Bangladesh to visa bond list as “very unfortunate”, the local media reported.
Hossain’s reaction came after the US administration placed Bangladesh and 24 other nations in a list of countries whose citizens could be required to post bonds of up to USD 15,000 to apply for travelling to the US.
“This decision is not just imposed on Bangladesh alone. Bangladesh is among the countries which have immigration related problems. To me, it’s nothing abnormal, certainly unfortunate. It hurts us,” the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) quoted Hossain as saying while speaking to reporters in Dhaka.
Another leading Bangladeshi media outlet Daily Star stated, “Foreign Affairs Advisor Md Touhid Hossain today termed the latest decision by the US administration against Bangladesh as very unfortunate”.
The countries covered by the visa bond requirement are: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivorie, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
According to the information published on the US State Department website, any citizen or national travelling to the US on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for USD 5,000, USD 10,000, or USD 15,000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview.
It further stated, “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. Applicants should submit Form I-352 to post a bond only after a consular officer directs them to do so. Applicants will receive a direct link to pay through Pay.gov.”
According to the US State Department, the applications must not use any third-party website for posting the bond and the US government is not responsible for any money paid outside of its systems. It stated, “A bond does not guarantee visa issuance. If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, the fees will not be returned.”
(IANS)
