WASHINGTON, D.C.: US visa bonds will become permanent on August 3 for covered B1/B2 applicants from 50 countries. The maximum bond will rise to $20,000.
The State Department’s final rule replaces a 12-month pilot launched on August 20, 2025. It covers otherwise eligible business and tourist visa applicants.
Consular officers will choose $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 after assessing each applicant’s circumstances. They should normally set $15,000, according to the rule.
The pilot offered bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. The permanent programme removes the $5,000 option and introduces the higher tier.
The current State Department list contains 30 African countries and 20 elsewhere. Pakistan is not among the 50 designated countries.
A bond does not guarantee visa approval. The government will refund it if there is a timely departure, an unused visa or denied entry. Applicants should pay only after a consular officer directs them to do so.
Bonded travellers must enter and leave through commercial airports or US preclearance locations. The rule bars land, sea, charter air and general aviation travel.
The department reported fewer than 50 overstays from listed countries during the pilot’s first 10 months. It recorded 45,488 overstays from those countries during fiscal 2024.
Read: U.S. August 2026 Visa Bulletin Advances Family Dates
Visa issuance also fell 83% compared with the corresponding period in the previous year, according to the department.
The department linked the policy to US President Donald Trump’s immigration order and efforts to curb visa overstays.
