The U.S. Will Make Its Visa Bond Program Permanent for Citizens of 50 Countries — Reuters
The U.S. Department of State will make the visa bond program permanent, allowing it to require applicants from 50 countries to post a bond when applying for a nonimmigrant visa. The maximum amount of the bond will be increased from $15,000 to $20,000.
As noted by the State Department, consular officers will be able to require applicants covered by the program to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition for issuing a nonimmigrant visa.
The department emphasized that the pilot program, launched in 2025, has proven effective. Based on the results of its evaluation, the U.S. Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury concluded that the bond mechanism helps ensure that visa holders comply with the conditions of their stay in the country.
Under the pilot program, consular officers could require a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or up to $15,000. The new rules eliminate the $5,000 minimum threshold and raise the maximum bond amount to $20,000.
The program applies to citizens of 50 countries, about 30 of which are located in Africa. The new rules will take effect on August 3 following publication in the Federal Register.
U.S. authorities state that these measures are intended to reduce visa violations. At the same time, human rights organizations warn that the new rules could complicate legitimate travel to the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump calls the tightening of visa requirements necessary to strengthen national security. His administration has also introduced new, higher fees for certain categories of visa applicants and is reviewing the social media accounts of applicants and immigrants.
This was reported by Reuters.
As a reminder, in July, Russian citizens faced a significant increase in the number of denials for Schengen visas to Greece. At some travel agencies, the proportion of negative decisions regarding applicants reached half of all applications.
Russian archers will miss the World Cup stage in Spain due to visa issues.
