India, Aug. 1 -- The United States will permanently require citizens of 50 countries, most of them in Africa, to pay a visa bond of up to $20,000 when applying for certain non-immigrant visas, after the Trump administration said a year-long pilot program sharply reduced visa overstays.

According to a notice set to be published in the Federal Register on August 3, the US State Department concluded that the pilot had produced enough evidence to justify making the policy permanent.

The maximum bond has also been increased from $15,000 to $20,000, while the minimum $5,000 bond available under the pilot program has been eliminated. Consular officers will now be able to require bonds of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, depending on individual cas...