US expands visa bond scheme to 50 countries from April 2
New rules target high overstay countries worldwide
DUBAI – The United States is broadening its visa enforcement measures, adding 12 new countries to its visa bond programme, bringing the total to 50 nations.
The move, announced by the State Department on social media platform X, is aimed at curbing high rates of visa overstays and strengthening the integrity of the US immigration system.
Under the leadership of @POTUS and @SecRubio, we have expanded our successful visa bonds pilot program to nationals of an additional 12 countries, bringing the total to 50 countries. The Biden Administration had 44k illegal overstays from these countries in just one year. We have…
— Assistant Secretary Mora Namdar (@AsstSecStateCA) March 18, 2026
The expansion is part of a long-term effort to complement border enforcement measures with stricter entry requirements. Travellers from affected countries will now be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to secure B1 or B2 visitor visas for business or tourism. These bonds are refundable if the applicant complies with visa terms or if the visa is denied.
New countries
Effective from 2 April 2026, the countries added to the programme are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia. Previous additions included nations such as Bangladesh, Venezuela, and 38 others, largely in Africa. The full list of countries is here.
Visa bond scheme
The visa bond programme operates under Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and a Temporary Final Rule establishing the pilot scheme. The bond amounts – $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 – are set at the discretion of the consular officer during the visa interview. Applicants must submit Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 and complete the payment through the official Treasury platform, Pay.gov. Payments made outside this system are not recognised and will not be refunded.
Compliance rules
Visa bond holders are required to enter and exit the US through designated commercial air ports, including CBP preclearance locations. Charter, general aviation, land, or sea ports are not permitted. Compliance is monitored through Department of Homeland Security records. Bonds are automatically refunded if travellers depart before their visa expiry, do not travel, or are denied entry at a US port of entry.
Cases of potential breaches are referred to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Breaches include overstaying, adjusting status without permission, or claiming asylum while in the United States. The programme has already demonstrated effectiveness, with the State Department reporting nearly 97% of the almost 1,000 bond holders fully complying with visa terms.
Previous measures
The visa bond programme, first rolled out under the Trump administration, complements other immigration measures including travel bans, visa revocations, and enhanced scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity. Countries previously included in the bond scheme include Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.