US to make visa bond program permanent for dozens of countries

WASHINGTON- The US State Department will make permanent a visa bond program that could require applicants from 50 countries, mostly from Africa, to post bonds of up to $20,000 when seeking U.S. visas, according to a federal notice posted online on Friday.

The Federal Register notice applies to B1 and B2 visas, which are issued for business and tourism travel.

"Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers," the notice said.

"The 2025 visa bond pilot, which provided a framework for the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury to assess the feasibility of administering a visa bond program, has provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond program is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders."

In the pilot program, consular officers could require bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or up to $15,000. The final rule eliminates the $5,000 option and raises the maximum bond to $20,000.

The final rule goes into effect on August 3 when it is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register. In the list of 50 countries for whose citizens this program applies, 30 are from Africa.

U.S. officials say the policy is intended to reduce visa overstays. Immigration advocates argue it will deter legitimate travel to the United States.

Rights advocates say President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown violates free speech and due process, while creating an unsafe environment for ethnic minorities and encouraging racial profiling. Trump has defended the measures as necessary to bolster national security.

While Trump says he wants to curb illegal immigration, his administration has made legal immigration more difficult, for example, by imposing new and expensive fees for applicants of certain visas and by ⁠enforcing social media vetting for applicants and immigrants ​already in the country.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Shri Navaratnam/Reuters