The administration of President Donald Trump will require citizens of 50 countries to post a $15,000 bond to apply to enter the United States, a State Department official said, quoted by "Reuters".
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the 12 countries were being added to a list that already includes 38 others, mostly in Africa.
The expanded visa bond program, which requires foreign nationals to pay $15,000 for a B1 or B2 visa for business and tourism, takes effect on April 2. The goal is to prevent visitors from overstaying, the official explained.
The new countries included in the visa guarantee program are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia.
The official said the guarantees would be returned to visa recipients who return to their home countries in accordance with the terms of the visa and guarantee or do not travel at all.
Since taking office last January, Republican Trump has pursued a hardline immigration policy, including an aggressive campaign of deportations, visa revocations and green cards.
Human rights groups have condemned Trump's immigration and travel policies, saying they curtail due process guarantees and freedom of speech. Trump and his allies say the policies are intended to improve homeland security.
Last June, he issued a travel ban that fully or partially blocked citizens of 19 countries from entering the United States on national security grounds.
A State Department official said the visa bond program has reduced the number of people overstaying their visas.
The 38 countries previously included are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, 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.