US makes $20,000 visa bond permanent for 50 countries
The State Department will require applicants from mostly African nations to post a refundable bond of up to $20,000 for business and tourist visas, citing a sharp drop in overstays during a pilot programme.
The United States will permanently require nationals of about 50 countries to deposit a bond of as much as $20,000 when applying for B1/B2 business and tourist visas, the State Department announced. The final rule, published in the Federal Register, takes effect on 3 August and replaces a one-year pilot that began in August 2025. Consular officers will have discretion to set the bond at $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, eliminating a previous $5,000 option. The bond is refunded without interest if the traveller departs on time and complies with visa conditions, but is forfeited in cases of overstay or breach.
According to the State Department notice, the pilot programme provided “sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond program is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders.” In 2024, the 50 pilot countries recorded 45,488 B1/B2 overstays; during the first ten months of the pilot, that number fell to fewer than 50. The department also reported that visa issuance for those countries dropped by 83 per cent, with roughly half of the 20,000 applicants who were asked to post a bond choosing not to proceed. Total bond payments during the pilot reached about $115 million.
Immigration advocates and rights groups have criticised the policy, arguing that requiring thousands of dollars in upfront payments will deter legitimate travel, particularly from low-income applicants, and could reinforce racial profiling. The Trump administration has defended the measure as necessary to reduce visa overstays and strengthen national security, linking it to Executive Order 14159. The State Department described the bond not as punitive but as a “tool of diplomacy” intended to encourage foreign governments to improve data sharing and document security.
The list of affected countries, which includes 30 African states as well as Bangladesh, Cuba, Venezuela and several others, will be published on the State Department’s website and may be updated with at least 15 days’ notice. India and Brazil are not currently included, while Iran, though absent from the bond list, faces a separate, near-total suspension of visa issuance. The rule enters into force on 3 August, and the department has indicated that additional countries could be added in the future.
| Atlantic / Anglosphere press | −0.60 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese press | −0.80 | critical |
| Indian & South Asian press | 0.00 | neutral |
| Latin American press | −0.70 | critical |
The Atlantic West denounces the fee as yet another attack on legal immigration and student mobility.
By presenting the fee as part of a sequence of restrictions, it creates the impression of a systematic attack on legal immigration.
China considers the fee a devastating blow to international students, already victims of previous restrictions.
Using emotional language like 'devastating' and 'squeezed', it amplifies the negative impact and mobilizes sympathy for students.
Omits the new rule requiring students to apply for new visas from their home country for further studies, a measure that would have further aggravated the described situation.
India observes the proposal with detachment, highlighting its uncertainty and the judicial context.
By maintaining a neutral tone and reporting facts without comment, it avoids taking a position and leaves evaluation to the reader.
Omits additional measures such as the requirement to return home for visa renewal and restrictions on exchange and journalist visas, reducing the complexity of the immigration crackdown.
Latin America denounces yet another immigration crackdown by Trump, framing it as part of a repressive pattern.
By framing the proposal as 'yet another' step, it suggests a continuity of repressive policies and mobilizes indignation.
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