The United States has designated 50 countries whose citizens face visa bonds reaching up to USD 20,000 for tourist and business visas, leaving India exempt from the mandate while encompassing South Asian nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.
On Friday, the State Department released a revised list of nations whose nationals must post financial bonds upon qualifying for B1/B2 visas. Under this programme, individuals travelling on passports from the specified countries are required to deposit bonds valued at USD 10,000, USD 15,000 or USD 20,000, with the exact figure fixed by a consular official during the visa interview, according to the State Department.
Holders of Indian passports remain exempt from this obligation. As detailed by the State Department index, Nepal and Bangladesh have faced the mandate since January 21, whereas Bhutan was incorporated beginning January 1. Additional nations spanning Africa, the Caribbean, Central Asia and the Pacific are similarly featured.
The State Department noted that the programme functions under Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, empowering consular staff to mandate a bond prior to visa issuance. This active programme originated from a final rule enacted on August 3, drawing upon B1/B2 visa overstay statistics published in the Department of Homeland Security’s Entry/Exit Overstay Report.
Affected applicants are additionally required to file DHS Form I-352 and consent to bond conditions via Pay.gov, the digital payment system managed by the Treasury Department. Cautioning applicants against premature transactions, the State Department stated, “Applicants should submit Form I-352 to post a bond only after a consular officer directs them to do so.”
Deposits may be fulfilled by the applicant personally or through third parties, including business associates, relatives or friends, with refunds directed to the depositor provided all bond criteria are satisfied. Furthermore, the State Department emphasised that fulfilling the bond does not secure visa approval.
Individuals fulfilling the visa bond are subjected to strict travel constraints regarding entry and exit routes across the United States. Participants are mandated to utilise commercial aviation facilities, inclusive of Customs and Border Protection preclearance terminals, while being barred from employing general aviation, charter aircraft, seaports or land borders. Potential infractions are directed to US Citizenship and Immigration Services to evaluate whether a breach occurred.
The visa bond programme seeks to counter visitor overstays associated with temporary tourist and business journeys, relying on Homeland Security overstay metrics to establish target nationalities.
