Citizens of 50 countries, including Nepal, required to deposit up to $20 thousand for US visa
Initially, it was estimated that only about 2,000 applicants annually would be required to post a bond. However, in practice, nearly 20,000 applicants fell under this provision.
WASHINGTON:- The US State Department has made the visa bond program for tourist and business visas permanent.
Under the new arrangement, citizens of 50 countries—including Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan—will be required to post a bond of up to $10,000 or $20,000 (approximately 3 million rupees) when applying for US B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourist) visas.
According to a notice published in the US Federal Register on Friday, the decision to make this program permanent was made after a one-year review showed it to be effective.
This rule will come into effect on Monday. It has been indicated that additional countries could be included in this list in the future.
Previously, under the pilot program, there were provisions for bonds of $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000.
Now, however, the $5,000 option has been removed, and the maximum amount has been raised to $20,000. The bond amount will now be either $10,000 or $20,000.
Under the new rule, citizens of the respective countries must deposit a bond amount prior to the visa interview.
The amount will be refunded if the visa is denied. Even after the visa is approved and the traveler arrives in the United States, the bond amount will be refunded provided they comply with all visa regulations.
The Donald Trump administration launched this program last August with the aim of curbing illegal immigration.
According to U.S. officials, it costs the government an average of $18,000 to arrest and deport an individual who remains in the United States after their visa has expired.
This decision will directly affect citizens of Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan in particular. For citizens of these countries, posting a bond will now become a permanent mandatory requirement when applying for US tourist or business visas.
This appears likely to impose an additional financial burden on tourists, businesspeople, and family members planning to travel to the United States.
The U.S. State Department has claimed that this program has been successful. According to government data, approximately 45,500 visitors from the 50 countries on the list overstayed their visas in the U.S. in 2024.
However, the department claims that fewer than 50 of the applicants subject to the bond requirement violated their visa terms during the first ten months of the pilot program’s implementation.
Initially, it was estimated that only about 2,000 applicants annually would be required to post a bond. However, in practice, nearly 20,000 applicants fell under this provision.
About half of them decided not to pay the bond amount; consequently, the U.S. State Department reported an 83 percent drop in the number of U.S. visas issued to citizens of the countries on the list.
