New US visa rule: Tourists, business travellers may need $15,000 bond

Tourists and business travellers from countries with high visa overstay rates may soon be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the US, Reuters reported on Monday.

The 12-month pilot programme, launching August 20, gives U.S. consular officers the power to impose the bond as a condition for issuing B-1/B-2 visas — which cover temporary business and tourism visits.

The rule is aimed at cracking down on visa overstays and revives a Trump-era policy that was previously announced but never fully enforced due to the pandemic.

Not all nationalities affected

According to the Federal Register notice seen by Reuters, the bond requirement will only apply to nationals of countries:

• With high visa overstay rates

• Where document vetting and passport security are considered inadequate

• Or offering Citizenship-by-Investment without a residency requirement

Travellers from Visa Waiver Program countries will be excluded, though case-by-case exemptions may still apply, the report said.

$5,000 to $15,000 bond, plus $250 ‘integrity fee’

The bond amounts will be set at $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, with most expected to pay at least $10,000. The amount will be refunded if travellers leave the US on time.

The initiative also follows a new $250 “visa integrity fee” recently introduced in a congressional spending bill. The fee, effective October 1, will apply to all non-immigrant visas and may be refundable if visitors comply with visa conditions.

Trump-era immigration policies return

The programme closely mirrors a measure from late 2020 under former President Donald Trump, designed as a “diplomatic tool” to deter overstays. It was not widely implemented due to COVID-related travel disruptions.

Reuters notes that many of the countries now being targeted — such as Haiti, Yemen, Myanmar, Chad, Eritrea, and others in Africa — also featured in Trump’s travel bans or overstay watchlists.

More changes: Interviews and passport rules tighten

In parallel, the State Department has recently mandated in-person interviews for many visa renewal applicants, reversing earlier exemptions.

It has also proposed new rules requiring Diversity Visa Lottery entrants to hold valid passports from their citizenship countries at the time of application.