At least two attorneys are cautiously optimistic that Jamaica will not be placed on a list of countries whose nationals will be required to pay a visa application bond when travelling to the United States for business or leisure.

Under the new policy, visa applicants from countries with high overstay rates may be required to post a refundable bond of between US$500 and US$15,000 as a condition for obtaining a US visa.

Chevon Campbell tells us more.

Immigration attorney Opal Lee admits that many Jamaicans with US visas overstay in the country. But she does not believe this is at a level high enough to trigger the ire of the Trump Administration.

The visa bond is refundable if the traveller leaves the US before their authorised stay expires. It is being introduced as a pilot to run till August 2026.

Approximately 12,000 Jamaicans are suspected of overstaying their B1 or B2 visas. That’s a rate of 5 per cent of the total of such entries.

That’s compared to our regional neighbour Haiti with an overstay rate of 31 per cent.

Attorney-at-law Wayne Golding is less optimistic about Jamaica’s chances of avoiding being added to the list of countries with high visa overstay rate.

This is due to the unpredictable nature of the Trump administration.

Unsurprised by the new policy Mr. Golding believes Jamaicans and other immigrant groups should brace for other potential moves to alienate them.