New US visa rule to include $15,000 bond: What it means, who’s affected

The United States testament before long start requiring some strange nationals to compensate visa bonds of up to $15,000 as part of a pilot program aimed at reducing visa overstays, the US state department announced on Monday.

The move is part of US President Donald Trump’s continued push to tighten immigration controls since returning to office in January.

The 12-month program, which starts August 20, will apply to certain applicants for B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas from countries deemed high-risk for visa overstays, reported news agency AFP.

According to a US state department notice set to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, “consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance.”

The minimum bond amount is $5,000, and the money will be returned if the traveler adheres to visa terms. Those who remain in the US beyond the permitted duration will forfeit the full bond.

The program also restricts entry and exit to a list of pre-selected airports in the United States for those required to pay the bond.

The country's state department said the measure targets nationals from countries with "high visa overstay rates" as identified in a 2023 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report.

Additionally, applicants from countries “where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient” or where citizenship can be acquired by investment without a residency requirement may also be required to post a bond.

“Countries will be identified based on high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations,” a State Department spokesperson said in response to an AFP query.

However, neither the spokesperson nor the notice listed the countries that will be immediately affected.

According to DHS and US customs and border protection data, cited by news agency Reuters, nations such as Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar, Yemen, Burundi, Djibouti and Togo have shown high overstay rates.

The bonds are intended as a financial deterrent. If visa holders leave the country on time, the amount will be refunded in full. If they overstay, the money will be retained by the government.

The pilot will apply only to B-1 and B-2 visa applicants and will require them to travel in and out of designated airports. The state department said it cannot estimate how many people will be affected, but a spokesperson noted the criteria and country list may be updated over time.

"The pilot reinforces the Trump administration's commitment to enforcing US immigration laws and safeguarding US national security," a state department spokesperson said.

The notice describes the program as “a key pillar of the Trump administration’s foreign policy to protect the United States from the clear national security threat posed by visa overstays.”

A similar pilot was introduced in November 2020 during Trump’s first term but was never fully implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on global travel.

A US travel association estimated the scope of the program to be relatively narrow, likely affecting only about 2,000 applicants from countries with low travel volume, according to Reuters.

However, the group raised concerns that the new requirement could hurt inbound tourism. “If implemented, the US will have one of, if not the highest, visitor visa fees in the world,” the association said.

The association also pointed to signs of waning international interest in US travel, noting that transatlantic airfares had dropped to pre-pandemic levels, and that travel from Canada and Mexico had declined by 20% year-on-year.

(With AFP, Reuters inputs)

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