Trump Administration Enacts Visa Bond Pilot to Curb Overstays and Tighten Vetting

August 5, 2025

The U.S. Department of State has launched a new Visa Bond Pilot Program requiring certain B-1/B-2 visa applicants from countries with high overstay rates to post bonds of up to $15,000. The 12-month program, stemming from President Trump's Executive Order 14159, will apply to applicants from countries with inadequate screening systems or Citizenship by Investment programs, with the country list to be published at least 15 days before implementation. Consular officers may require bonds in tiers of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 based on the applicant's financial means and perceived overstay risk, with successful compliance resulting in full refunds.

Who is affected

B-1/B-2 visa applicants from countries with high visa overstay rates
Applicants from countries with inadequate screening and vetting systems
Applicants from countries with Citizenship by Investment programs without residency requirements
Approximately 2,000 applicants estimated to be subject to the bond requirement during the pilot

What action is being taken

The U.S. Department of State is implementing a 12-month Visa Bond Pilot Program requiring bonds up to $15,000
Consular officers are assessing applicants based on financial means, travel purpose, and overstay risk to determine bond amounts
The Department of the Treasury is holding bond funds in an account managed for the Department of Homeland Security
The U.S. government is requiring covered applicants to enter and exit through pre-selected airports that can verify their departure

Why it matters

The program aims to assess the operational feasibility of collecting and managing visa bonds
It's designed to encourage foreign governments to reduce overstay rates and improve identity verification for their nationals
The pilot addresses the problem of visa overstays, with more than 500,000 suspected in-country overstays in fiscal year 2023
It represents a significant shift in policy, as the authority to require visa bonds has existed for decades but has been rarely used

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer