US to Require Up to $15,000 Visa Bonds from Certain Travellers Under New Programme Targeting Overstays

The United States will launch a 12-month pilot programme on August 20, 2025, requiring certain business and tourist visa applicants from select countries to post a refundable bond of up to $15,000 as a condition for visa issuance.

 

The US Visa Bond Programme will initially target nationals of Malawi and Zambia, countries identified by the State Department as having high visa overstay rates, deficient vetting processes, or citizenship-by-investment schemes without residency requirements. About 2,000 applicants are expected to be affected during the trial phase, which ends on August 5, 2026.

 

Programme Details

Applicants for B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourist) visas from the designated countries may be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 (default) or $15,000, depending on factors such as purpose of travel, employment, income and education. Payments must be made online via the US Department of Treasury’s pay.gov portal using Form I-352, typically after an initial visa refusal at the consular interview stage.

 

Visas issued under the programme will be single-entry, valid for up to three months, with a maximum 30-day stay in the US. Holders must enter and exit through specific ports such as Boston Logan, New York’s JFK, and Washington Dulles airports.

 

Refunds and Penalties

The bond is fully refundable if visa holders leave the US on time or legally extend or change their status. Overstaying or violating visa terms will result in forfeiture. Consular officers will have limited authority to waive the requirement, mainly for urgent humanitarian or US government-related travel.

 

Policy Context

The pilot is part of broader US efforts to deter illegal immigration and reduce overstays, which officials say undermine border security and strain resources. The programme revives a previously proposed but unimplemented visa bond policy and is expected to provide data to assess its effectiveness for potential wider adoption.

 

According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 13.7 million undocumented immigrants currently reside in the US, with other sources placing the number between 11 million and 15 million.

 

The State Department has said the list of countries covered could expand if other nations meet the criteria of high overstay rates or weak screening measures.

 

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