The U.S. State Department proposes a new visa bond requirement, potentially requiring applicants to post up to $15,000.
By Aniket Chakraborty
Aug 5, 2025
WORLD NEWS
The pilot program targets countries with high overstay rates or deficient internal document security, with bond amounts of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000.
2
This proposal comes as part of the Trump administration's tightening of visa requirements.
3
Last week, the State Department introduced additional in-person interviews for many visa renewal applicants, a shift from previous policy.
4
Applicants for the Diversity Visa Lottery program will now need valid passports from their country of citizenship.
5
The bond will serve to protect the U.S. government from financial liability if visitors fail to comply with visa conditions.
6
Countries with high visa overstay rates or weak screening systems will be subject to this new pilot program, though the specific nations will be revealed later.
7
The bond could be waived based on an applicant’s individual circumstances, but will not apply to Visa Waiver Program countries.
8
The proposal has drawn concern as it may make the visa process unaffordable for many, especially in high-risk countries.
9
While visa bonds have been proposed in the past, this pilot marks a significant step toward their potential implementation.