New Visa Rule: US Requires $20,000 Bond for Applicants from 50 Countries
The US State Department is making permanent a program requiring visa applicants from 50 countries to deposit a bond of up to $20,000. The new rule takes effect on August 3.
The US State Department is expected to make permanent a program under which visa applicants from 50 countries, most of them African, will be required to deposit a financial bond of up to $20,000 as a condition for receiving a US visa. This is according to an official notice published on the federal website.
According to Reuters, the notice refers to B1 and B2 type visas, issued for business and tourism travel. Consular officers will be able to require non-immigrant visa applicants included in the program to deposit a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition for issuing the visa, at their discretion.
The notice stated that the visa bond pilot program from 2025 provided data showing that the program is an effective enforcement tool. Under the pilot, consular officers could require bonds of $5,000, $10,000, or up to $15,000. The new rule eliminates the $5,000 option and raises the maximum ceiling to $20,000. The update will take effect on August 3.
Of the 50 countries subject to the program, 30 are African. Among the countries on the list: Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Mongolia, Malawi, Nigeria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uganda, and Venezuela.
American officials claim the policy is intended to reduce the phenomenon of staying in the US beyond the visa's validity. Immigration organizations, on the other hand, claim it will deter legitimate travel to the country.
Human rights organizations argue that the strict immigration policy of President Donald Trump harms freedom of speech and the right to due process, contributing to an unsafe atmosphere for ethnic minorities. Trump has defended the measures as necessary to strengthen national security. Although Trump presents himself as someone working to reduce illegal immigration, his administration has tightened legal immigration procedures by imposing expensive fees and checking the social media of visa applicants.
