Key Points
- The U.S. is permanently adopting a visa bond program requiring travelers from ~50 at-risk countries to deposit up to $20,000 (most set at $15,000) for a refundable B1/B2 visa, effective August 3, with compliance requiring commercial air arrival and departure.
- The program dramatically reduces both overstays (from 45,000+ in FY2024 to under 50) and visa demand (B1/B2 issuance down 83%), signaling it is designed as much to deter applications as to enforce compliance.
- Affected countries are mostly minor U.S. tourism markets, but the policy adds friction amid an already declining inbound tourism environment (visitors down 5.5% last year), with no formal waiver process and only very limited consular exemptions.
Summary
The U.S. is making its visa bond program permanent, requiring tourists and business travelers from select at-risk countries to temporarily deposit up to $20,000 to obtain a B1/B2 visa. Finalizing a year-long pilot that expanded from 2 to 50 countries (mostly African and other smaller nations, plus Venezuela and Nigeria), the rule publishes and takes effect August 3. Bonds—most set at $15,000, with some at $10,000 or $20,000, and inflation-adjusted every seven years starting October 2027—are refundable if travelers comply with terms, including arriving and departing by commercial air. While the State Department touts the program as an effective compliance tool (overstays from affected countries fell from over 45,000 in FY2024 to fewer than 50), it also acknowledges the policy sharply curbs demand: B1/B2 visa issuance from pilot countries dropped 83% as of July. The affected nations are largely minor U.S. tourism markets, but the move comes amid a broader 5.5% decline in inbound tourism, and there will be no formal waiver application process—only limited exceptions granted by consular officers.
