The United States government has announced a 12-month pilot programme that will require certain tourist and business visa applicants to post bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 as a condition for visa issuance.
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According to a notice issued by the U.S. State Department, the bond policy will apply to nationals from countries with high overstay rates, weak identity verification systems, or those that operate citizenship-by-investment programmes with minimal residency requirements.
The bonds, which will be refundable upon timely departure from the U.S., are intended to serve as a financial guarantee that applicants will comply with the terms of their visas. The policy will not affect citizens of countries already covered under the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme, which includes most European nations and select countries in Asia and the Middle East.
The State Department clarified that waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis and that the bond requirement will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The list of countries affected will also be disclosed at that time.
The new bond initiative comes on the heels of several other restrictive immigration measures by the Trump administration, including a mandate for in-person interviews for many visa renewals and a proposal requiring valid passports for entry into the Diversity Visa Lottery Programme.
Although visa bonds have been considered in the past, they have rarely been implemented due to concerns over bureaucratic complexity and potential diplomatic fallout. The State Department, however, now argues that previous opposition lacked empirical backing, stating that such bonds have not been properly tested at scale.
Which countries are these?
The U.S. Department of State is set to announce the list of countries as early as today.
Overstay rates will be based on the Department of Homeland Security’s 2023 Entry/Exit Overstay Report. This report, published on Aug. 5, 2024, shows countries with high overstay rates include Chad (50%), Laos (35%) and Haiti (31%).
However, countries with the most total overstays, by number, are Mexico (approximately 49,000), Brazil (21,000), Colombia (41,000), Haiti (27,000), Venezuela (22,000) and Dominican Republic (20,000).
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