International travellers heading to the United States may soon face new financial and bureaucratic hurdles, as the Trump Administration prepares to revive a visa bond program targeting visitors from countries with high rates of overstaying their visas.
Set to take effect on August 20, the year-long pilot scheme will require certain business and tourist visa applicants to post bonds of up to $15,000 as a condition of entry. The measure, which mirrors a similar but short-lived initiative launched in late 2020 under the previous Trump presidency, is part of a broader push to tighten immigration controls.
According to a notice published in the Federal Register and first reported by The Washington Post, the U.S. State Department intends to implement the policy to ensure that foreign nationals leave the country on time. A State Department cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the program as necessary “to protect America’s borders and the American people.”
The updated bond scheme will apply to countries identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as having high visa overstay rates. These include several African nations, as well as Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and Yemen. Most of these countries were also previously named in Trump’s travel ban list. Citizens from the 42 nations participating in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program — including the UK, Japan, and most of the EU — will be exempt from the requirement.
The size of the bond will vary depending on the traveller’s profile and circumstances. Consular officers will have the discretion to set the bond at $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The bond may be forfeited if the visitor overstays, violates visa conditions, or fails to leave the country after a visa extension is denied.
The State Department estimates around 2,000 applicants may be affected by the scheme over the 12-month trial period. A list of affected countries will be published at least 15 days before the program begins on the government’s official travel website.
This is the latest in a string of immigration-related changes introduced by the Trump Administration. In July, the State Department also announced plans to require nearly all nonimmigrant visa applicants to undergo in-person interviews, further increasing the time and cost involved in visiting the U.S.
The visa bond scheme is likely to draw criticism from civil rights advocates and countries affected, many of whom have already expressed concern over the administration’s broader immigration agenda.
