Visas: Visa Bond Program
Key claim: The State Department is finalizing a permanent visa bond program under which consular officers may require B-1/B-2 applicants to post bonds of up to $20,000 to ensure they maintain status and depart as required.
Abstract
(Rule · State Department) This rule finalizes the temporary final rule that went into effect on August 20, 2025, which launched a 12-month long Visa Bond Pilot Program (Pilot Program), and establishes a permanent visa bond program. An alien applying for a visa as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) may be required to submit a bond (“visa bond”) to ensure that the alien maintains his or her nonimmigrant status and departs as required. Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers.
Why this matters
A permanent visa bond regime materially raises the up-front cost and paperwork burden of B-1/B-2 travel from targeted countries, potentially deterring family visits, tourism, and short business trips from lower-income applicants who cannot lock up $20,000 in escrow. It also gives consular officers a new discretionary lever tied to overstay-rate metrics, shifting some enforcement of departure compliance from post-entry immigration systems to the visa issuance stage.