The U.S. State Department has expanded its visa bond pilot program, requiring travelers from seven additional countries to pay up to $15,000 in reimbursable deposits when applying for visitor visas. Effective January 1, nationals of Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan are now subject to the policy, which brings the total number of affected countries to 13, most located in Africa.
The program, launched in August, is designed to deter visitors from overstaying their authorized period in the U.S. for tourism or business purposes. Bonds range from $5,000 to $15,000 and do not guarantee visa approval. Payments are refunded if travelers depart the country within the timeframe specified on their visas. Applicants whose visas are approved under the program may only enter the U.S. through three designated airports: Boston Logan, New York’s JFK, and Washington Dulles. Student visas are exempt, as are travelers from 42 countries participating in the visa waiver program, including much of Europe, Australia, Qatar, and Israel.
Critics have raised concerns about the financial burden of the program, particularly for families or couples, where deposits can quickly reach tens of thousands of dollars. The State Department initially estimated that the year-long pilot could generate around $20 million in bonds, based on 2,000 travelers paying an average of $10,000 each.
While the administration has justified the program by citing high visa overstay rates, some newly added countries have relatively low rates of noncompliance. For instance, data suggest that only about 2 percent of visitors from the Central African Republic and 4 percent from Namibia overstayed their visas in fiscal year 2024, prompting questions about the selection criteria for inclusion in the pilot.
The bond initiative, first proposed in 2020 but delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, reflects the Trump administration’s broader efforts to tighten immigration controls and enforce stricter entry requirements for visitors from countries deemed higher risk for overstays.
