The US State Department will make permanent a visa bond programme that could require applicants from 50 countries, including Bangladesh, to post bonds of up to $20,000 when seeking US visas, according to a federal notice posted online on Friday.
The Federal Register notice applies to B1 and B2 visas, which are issued for business and tourism travel, reported Reuters.
“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,” the notice said.
“The 2025 visa bond pilot, which provided a framework for the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury to assess the feasibility of administering a visa bond programme, has provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond programme is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders.”
In the pilot programme, consular officers could require bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or up to $15,000. The final rule eliminates the $5,000 option and raises the maximum bond to $20,000.
The final rule goes into effect on August 3 when it is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register.
In the list of 50 countries for whose citizens this program applies, 30 are from Africa. The list includes Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The list includes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan from Central Asian region.
Citizens of these countries applying for US tourist or business visas will now need to post a bond as a standard, permanent requirement, not a temporary pilot measure. This could affect students, workers and families from the region who travel to the US regularly or plan to in future.
US officials say the policy is intended to reduce visa overstays. State Department officials call the 2025 visa bond pilot a success. In 2024, nearly 45,500 visitors from the 50 listed countries overstayed their visas. In the pilot’s first 10 months, that number dropped to fewer than 50 among covered applicants, according to the notice.
Source: thedailystar.net
