United States | State Department launches Visa Bond Pilot Program

The State Department published a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) in the Federal Register announcing the launch of a 12-month visa bond pilot program for certain foreign nationals applying for B1/B2 visas effective Aug. 20, 2025, until Aug. 5, 2026.

Key Points:

• The pilot will run for 12 months from Aug. 20, 2025, until Aug. 5, 2026.
• The pilot program will be limited to foreign nationals who are: applying for B-1/B-2 nonimmigrant visas and are nationals of countries that the State Department has identified: (1) as having high visa overstay rates; (2) where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient; or (3) as offering CBI, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement.
• Visa applicants who are found eligible for a B-1/B-2 visa, but who are subject to the pilot program, will be required to pay a bond in the amount of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000.
• During the pilot, there will not be a waiver application process.
• The amount and imposition of the bond are determined on a case-by-case basis.
• The State Department issued a visa news alert identifying two countries subject to visa bonds based high visa overstay rates: Malawi and Zambia. The list of countries can be updated during the pilot and will be available on travel.state.gov.

Additional Information: More details on required ports of entry, visa bond compliance and visa bond breach can be found here. The pilot program requiring bonds is intended to serve as a financial guarantee to encourage compliance with visa terms, particularly timely departure from the U.S. The pilot program will assess the effectiveness of financial deterrents in reducing visa overstays.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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