Washington DC - The State Department announced on Wednesday that foreigners from an additional 12 countries - including Cambodia, Ethiopia and Georgia - would be required to pay a $15,000 deposit to receive some visas as part of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda.

The latest additions will bring the Trump administration's "visa bond program" to 50 nations when it takes effect on April 2, the State Department said in a statement.

The program, which applies to both short-term business and tourism visas, was launched last year in a bid to stem overstays, as part of the Trump administration's mass crackdown on illegal immigration.

The funds will be returned if the applicant complies with all visa terms. If the applicant remains in the US past the deadline, the funds will be forfeited.

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"Nearly 1,000 foreigners have been issued visas under the program, and 97 percent of bonded travelers have returned home from the United States on time," a State Department fact sheet claimed.

The 38 countries initially rolled out with the program included Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, 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.

The new nations added to the program are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.