State starts a temporary B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot

Validated finding · five-country-2010-20260922-v118-evidence-presentation-fix

CountryUnited States

Operative dateAugust 20, 2025

CategoryVisitor

Policy toolEligibility

Affected groupNew applicants

Policy effect

The Department of State established a 12-month visa bond pilot for certain B-1/B-2 applicants from countries identified for high overstay rates, deficient screening and vetting information, or citizenship-by-investment concerns.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

… rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In this temporary final rule (TFR), the Department of State (the Department) announces the commencement of a 12-month long visa bond pilot program. Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to … the pilot program. Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers. DATES: This TFR and pilot program are effective August 20, 2025 until August 5, 2026. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Visa Services Office, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State; telephone (202) 485-7586, [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Summary This TFR establishes a visa bond pilot program (``Pilot Program'') under section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as … Status and Departure Bond (Visa Bond) to be posted via www.Pay.Gov and accepted by the Department of State, and with the Department of the Treasury accepting all monies to be deposited in a Treasury-held Department of Homeland Security account for the Department of Homeland Security, as a condition of visa issuance, for certain visa applicants. (2) Visa Bond Pilot Program parameters. Under the Visa Bond Pilot Program, consular officers will require Visa Bonds to be posted by visa applicants who are applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and are nationals of a country that the Department identifies as: (i) Having high visa overstay rates; (ii) Deficient in its vetting and screening and vetting information; or (iii) Offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement. Countries deemed to meet these criteria will be identified on the Department's website at www.travel.state.gov no less than 15 days prior to the initiation of the pilot program, and countries may be modified on a rolling basis. (3) Bond amount and visa validity. Consular officers will set the Visa Bond amount at $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, …

Federal Register 90 FR 37378Federal Register 90 FR 37378. State starts a temporary B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot. Effective 2025-08-20.Open official source

Retrieved from https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/05/2025-14826/visas-visa-bond-pilot-program

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Automated source validation is not independent human legal review. The finding should not be treated as legal advice. Record fcp-26a1c252fb01e242960e. Something wrong? Flag this record.

State starts a temporary B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot

Policy effect

Official source excerpt

Review method

Other United States changes operative in 2025