$15,000 US visa bond: Who, why, when, and what happens next?

Up to 15 million illegal immigrants are living in the US (total estimated population: 340 million).

Now, the Trump administration adopted a range of aggressive anti-illegal immigrant strategies, centred around border security, interior enforcement, and restricting immigration benefits, reflecting a hardline approach to curbing unauthorised immigration.

Now, the US Visa Bond Programme is a pilot programme which requires certain B-1/B-2 visa applicants (business and tourist visas) from designated countries to post a refundable bond as a condition of visa issuance. 

A US visa bond is a financial guarantee required from certain foreign nationals applying for temporary business (B-1) or tourist (B-2) visas to ensure they comply with the terms of their visa, particularly departing the US on time.

The bond requirement is being introduced as part of a 12-month pilot programme that targets travellers from countries with historically high visa overstay rates, such as Malawi and Zambia initially.

It kicks off from August 20, 2025, running through August 5, 2026,

About 2,000 applicants are expected to be required to post bonds in this pilot phase. The programme aims to reduce visa overstays by creating a financial incentive to comply with US immigration laws and encourage stronger screening by foreign governments.

The bond amounts are set at $5,000, $10,000 (default), or $15,000, depending on the applicant's circumstances like purpose of travel, employment, income, and education.

The bond is paid online via the Department of Treasury’s pay.gov portal using Form I-352 after a temporary visa refusal at the consular interview stage.

Currently, the pilot applies to nationals of Malawi and Zambia, countries identified by the US government as having high visa overstay rates, deficient vetting of citizens, or citizenship-by-investment schemes with no residency requirements.

The US Department of State said that the pilot may expand to other countries fitting these criteria with advance notice.

Visas issued under this program are single-entry, valid for up to three months, and holders are typically allowed a maximum 30-day stay in the US. 

Visa holders must enter and exit through specific US ports of entry (e.g., Boston Logan, JFK, Washington Dulles). 

Is the bond refundable?

Yes, the bond is fully refunded if the visa holder complies with visa terms, departs on time, or properly files for extension or change of status. 

Failure to comply may result in bond forfeiture.

Consular officers have limited authority to waive the bond requirement, mostly only for urgent humanitarian or US government-related travel. 

The program aims to reduce overstays and improve screening of visa applicants from countries with high non-compliance rates, supporting US national security and immigration policies.

This pilot revives a previously proposed but unimplemented visa bond rule and will provide data to guide potential wider use of visa bonds in the future.

As of the most recent data in 2025, the estimated number of unauthorised (illegal) immigrants living in the United States is approximately 13.7 million, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

Some other sources estimating around 11 to 15 million, depending on methodology.

Breakdown by nationality based on the most current figures (estimates as of 2023 and early 2025):

Together, these top 10 countries account for roughly 80% of the unauthorised immigrant population in the US.

There are also notable populations from South America, Asia, Europe/Canada/Oceania, the Caribbean, and Africa.

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