The Bhutanese Leading the way.
According to an official source, Bhutan is no longer on the dreaded draft ‘Red List’ of the United States government which would mean an absolute travel ban, but is now on the milder ‘Yellow List’.
The draft “Yellow List’ is around two dozen counties that will get some time to clear up perceived deficiencies, with the threat of being moved onto one of the other lists if they did not comply.
The official source said that the reason given to Bhutan for coming on the yellow list is visa overstay.
This simply means that Bhutanese obtaining tourist, business, student and other visas are not coming back at the end of the visa period and are thus overstaying.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines visa overstay as, ‘A nonimmigrant who was lawfully admitted to the United States but remained in the United States beyond the authorized period of admission.’
When one looks at the DHS Entry/Exit Overstay Report for 2023 the statistics show that Bhutan is on the higher side when it comes to visa overstays under various categories.
The average rate of visa overstay for citizens of 154 countries (that do not have visa waiver) under the business and pleasure (tourism) visa category is 3.20% while Bhutan’s overstay rate in this category is 12.15%. However, Bhutan is not the only one as there are 19 other countries with higher percentages than Bhutan like Angola, Burma, Congo, Chad, Togo etc.
When it comes to visas for Students and Exchange Visitors the average rate of overstay for 193 countries is 3.67% while it is 24.44% for Bhutan. Here again, Bhutan is not alone as there are around 19 countries like Afghanistan, Benin, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gambia etc that have higher numbers than Bhutan.
For all others types of visas the average rate of overstay for 193 countries is 2.99% while it is 10% for Bhutan. Here again Bhutan is not alone as there are 40 other countries with higher violations like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Montenegro, Niger etc.
Initial reporting by the New York Times showed that Bhutan was on a draft ‘Red List’ of complete travel ban of 11 countries, however, the Times had clarified that it is a draft list and changes are expected.
After the New York Times, Reuters had done some reporting and said Bhutan is on the ‘Yellow List.’
This paper had done a report based on the above and its own data available here .
Bhutan being on the draft yellow list is still a matter of embarrassment and concern, but it is not as bad as the ‘Red List.’ The final list is only expected to be ready in a week’s time or so.
The news of Bhutan being on the red or yellow list has been greeted by shock by Bhutanese citizens who are used to seeing Bhutan on much more positive international lists to do with peace, environment, happiness, good governance etc.
The USA has generally enjoyed goodwill among Bhutanese citizens and more so during the pandemic when the USA sent in large consignments of much needed vaccines for Bhutan. The red and yellow lists has damaged that goodwill built over decades and Bhutan-US relations will be impacted.
Seeing Bhutan get moved to the yellow list over visa overstay issues is honestly such a shame, especially considering how much effort the country has put into building its image around responsible tourism and diplomacy. It really goes to show how even a small number of violations can have larger consequences for everyone else.
I feel for the genuine travelers and Bhutanese citizens who now have to face stricter scrutiny because of a few people not following the rules. It’s frustrating when those who overstay or misuse visas don’t realize how their actions can negatively impact the entire nation’s standing on the global stage.
That said, I think the article does a good job of laying out the issue without turning it into a blame game. The call for better awareness and stricter enforcement is fair. Maybe it’s also time for more educational outreach both at home and abroad—just so people understand the real implications of even “just a few extra days.”