The United States is introducing a pilot programme that would require tourist and business visa applicants from selected countries to post bonds of up to $15,000. It’s a measure aimed at curbing visa overstays, but one that may price out many travellers.
According to a notice from the State Department, the 12-month pilot will apply to nationals from countries with high overstay rates, weak identity verification systems, or those offering citizenship-for-investment schemes with little or no residency requirement.
Applicants from these countries could be asked to deposit $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 as a condition for obtaining a visa. The bond is intended to ensure compliance with visa terms and would be refundable upon timely departure. Individual waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
The bond requirement will not apply to citizens of countries in the US Visa Waiver Programme, which covers most of Europe as well as select nations in Asia and the Middle East.
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The move marks another significant escalation in the Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration. It follows last week’s policy changes requiring in-person interviews for many visa renewals and a proposal mandating valid passports for applicants to the Visa Lottery Programme.
Although visa bonds have been floated in the past, they’ve rarely been implemented. The State Department previously discouraged them, citing bureaucratic hurdles and reputational risks. But the department now says that position was not grounded in recent evidence, as bonds have not been broadly tested.
The countries affected by the pilot will be named when the programme formally takes effect, 15 days after publication in the Federal Register.
