Business Immigration Insights

People from dozens of countries who apply for U.S. visitor visas between January and August this year may be surprised to learn they will have to post high-dollar bonds and will get only short-term visas:

• Citizens of 38 countries must post a $5k–$15k bond to get a U.S. visitor visa.
• Visas are single-entry, valid 3 months, with a maximum 30-day stay.
• Bond is refunded if travelers leave on time and follow visa rules.
• Program runs through August 5, 2026.

What is the purpose of the program?

According to the regulation, the program will determine (a) whether monetary bonds are effective to ensure that visitors do not violate visa terms; and (b) whether it is operationally feasible for the State Department to administer a bond program.  An earlier pilot was tried under the first Trump Administration, but because it coincided with the COVID pandemic, which shut down travel globally, that program did not produce sufficient usable data.

Who is subject to the bond requirement?

The pilot program has been running since August 2025, but only six countries were included until recently.  In January 2026, the Trump Administration added 32 more.  The full list now includes 24 countries of Africa, 6 Asian, 3 North American, 1 South American, and 4 nations of Oceania.

Until August 6, 2026, citizens of the listed countries who apply for first-time or renewed B-1/B-2 visas at U.S. consulates anywhere in the world are subject to payment of the “Maintenance of Status and Departure Bond.”

The bond does not apply to people who already hold valid B visas.  These individuals may continue traveling normally on their existing visas, without paying a bond.

There are no exceptions or waivers to bond payment except in “very limited circumstances.”  Examples in the regulation include a U.S. government employee and an applicant with “urgent humanitarian needs.”

Why were these specific countries chosen?

The State Department used the following criteria in determining that nationals from the identified countries have a higher risk of either not departing on time or failing to maintain status (such as working without authorization):

1. The country has a higher overstay level in annual statistical reporting by the Department of Homeland Security;
2. The country has deficient background and criminal screening and vetting; and/or
3. The country offers Citizenship by Investment with no residency requirement.

The regulation also points to several presidential proclamations and executive orders as justification for the six-fold expansion of the pilot program.

How will the pilot program work?

A consular officer will first conduct a normal interview to establish that the applicant is eligible for a B visa.

These interviews include a subjective analysis of the applicant’s ties to their home country and whether they are likely to overstay in the United States.  During the pilot program, even if the officer is satisfied that overstay is unlikely for that particular individual, and even if the individual has a history of U.S. travel with no visa violations, the bond requirement will still apply.

If the applicant is found eligible for the visa, the consular officer will then instruct the applicant (or an obligor who pays on their behalf) to post the bond within 30 days at a U.S. government website, www.pay.gov.  The officer will email the applicant the required link and form; coincidentally, the same form used to obtain bond from immigration detention.

In most cases, a $10,000 bond will apply, but consular officers will have discretion to set a higher amount ($15,000) or a lower one ($5,000) based on individual circumstances.

If I post a bond, will I get a visitor’s visa like normal?

Visas issued after bond payments will be different from normal B visas in two key respects.

First, every visa will be valid for only three months and one single entry to the United States.

Visa validity criteria are normally determined by “reciprocity”:  if a country allows U.S. citizens 10-year visitor visas with multiple entries, then the United States extends the same benefits to that country’s citizens.  Many of the countries on the bond list already have 3-month, single-entry limitations for B visas, but many do not.

For example, citizens of Dominica and Nepal, which are both on the bond list, are normally issued multiple-entry B-1/B-2 visas valid for many years (10 years for Dominica; 5 for Nepal).  Under the pilot program, citizens of both countries will get only 3-month, single-entry visas and will have to reapply after the pilot program ends (assuming it is not made permanent) if they want or need visas that are more useful and are valid longer.

Second, every visa issued under the program will contain a special annotation at the bottom left that refers to the bond program.

This annotation is meant to alert U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers that special admission requirements apply to these travelers.  On seeing a bonded visa, CBP will verify that the traveler is using one of the nine designated airports under the program (BOS, JFK, IAD, EWR, ATL, ORD, LAX, YYZ, or YUL) and will admit the traveler for no more than 30 days.

Admission to the United States in B-1/B-2 status is typically longer than 30 days.  CBP asks the traveler about the circumstances of their visit and has the discretion to admit the traveler for up to 6 months.  Tourists (B-2 status) are generally given a 6-month stay, and Business Visitors (B‑1) are admitted for long enough to accomplish the purpose of their trip.  As with the visa interview, these individualized assessments will not be done for individuals who travel under the pilot program.

In the regulation, the State Department says these limits on normal visa and admission validity are “necessary to increase the likelihood that travel … is completed within a time frame conducive to gathering data from the Pilot Program.”  This indicates that the program is likely not meant for long-term research and study and suggests it may become permanent while the current administration is still in office.

How do I get my bond back?

Bonds will be canceled and refunded in full, with no interest charged, if travelers maintain all terms and conditions of status while they are in the United States and depart before the expiration date on the I-94 Admission Records that CBP electronically issues on arrival.

To avoid forfeiture of the bond, it is critical for travelers to retrieve their I-94s at the CBP website to ensure they know the exact date by which they must depart.  This is particularly true if the traveler has previously used a B-1/B-2 visa without the special annotation and is accustomed to staying in the United States for longer than 30 days.

Departures will be verified via ADIS (Arrival and Departure Information System), a database maintained by U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Bonds will also be refunded to visitors:

• Who file timely applications to change or extend status after arriving;
• Who are deemed inadmissible at the port of entry and are not admitted by CBP; and
• Whose visas expire before they are used.

Travelers may proactively request cancelation of bonds by scheduling consular appointments either within 30 days of departing the United States or if their visas are still valid but they are not traveling to the United States after all.

Visitors whose bonds are returned will also receive a compliance form for their records.

What happens to my bond if it’s not refunded?

According to the regulation, forfeited bonds will be used to reimburse the government for expenses of the pilot program and “for expenses associated with the detention of illegal aliens, necessitated by the alien overstaying his or her authorized period of stay.”

The latter purpose suggests that visitors who fail to comply with visa terms or conditions not only will forfeit their bonds but also may be apprehended and detained.