America has made visa bond mandatory for 50 countries, which will come into effect from April 2, 2026. The US State Department said on Wednesday (18 March 2026) that citizens will have to deposit a bond of $ 15,000 before getting B1 (Business) and B2 (Tourist) visas. This bond will be returned to those visa holders who comply with the visa conditions and return from the US on time or do not travel at all.
Why did the Trump administration take this step?
The purpose of this step of the Trump administration is to reduce illegal visa overstay. According to American officials, so far visas have been issued to about a thousand foreigners under this program, out of which 97 percent returned to their country on time. On the contrary, in the last year of the previous government, more than 44 thousand people from 50 countries covered under this scheme stayed in America longer than the visa period.
Names of these countries were added
If the person returns to his country on time following the visa conditions, this money will be returned. From April 2, 12 new countries, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia, will be included under this policy. These countries will join the 38 countries on which this rule is already applicable, such as Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe etc. The names of India and Pakistan are not included in this list.
The US State Department said that this program can be extended to more countries in the future on the basis of ‘immigration risk factors’, that is, new countries can be added on the basis of overstay data and compliance with the rules. The Trump administration also described this policy as economically beneficial. According to him, it costs an average of 18 thousand dollars to expel a person living illegally in America from the country.
America is saving crores due to new rule
Through this program, American taxpayers are being saved approximately $800 million per year by reducing overstays. This visa bond rule specifically applies to short-term visas like B1 (Business) and B2 (Tourism). This bond acts as a financial guarantee so that the people adhere to the conditions of the visa. B1 and B2 visas are the most commonly issued non-immigrant visas, used for business, tourism, and family visits.