The U.S. State Department will require some tourists and visitors to deposit up to $15,000 as a bond before they are issued a visa.
More than 20 countries will be affected.
The State Department said this sends a "message" to visitors from some countries to abide by rules and regulations imposed when they are given U.S. visas. The agency said that the countries mostly affected are those with high rates of illegal stays after visas expire.
The bond is part of a six-month pilot program that will start Dec. 24. Visitors from the selected countries will be required to deposit bonds of between $5,000 and $15,000.
The amount required will be decided by a country's U.S. consular office. For applicants that are deemed to be at a higher risk of overstaying, consular offices can demand up to $15,000.
The program "is designed to apply to nationals of specific countries with high overstay rates to serve as a diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to take all appropriate actions to ensure their nationals timely depart the United States after making temporary visits," the State Department said.
Twenty-three countries were listed - 15 of which are in Africa. The rest are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Iran, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Syria and Yemen.
The State Department said that the new rule won't apply to student visas and immigrant visas. It added that not all visa applicants from the designated countries will be required to deposit bonds - only those meeting specific criteria.
Consular offices will look at specific applicant data to determine the amount of the bond or whether or not to exempt them. This includes travel purpose, income, education, skills and employment.
