The US State Department announced a new pilot program requiring some visa applicants to pay bonds of up to $15,000. This measure, part of the Trump administration's broader crackdown on migration, aims to discourage visa overstays. Set to begin on August 20 and last for 12 months, the program mandates that consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond as a condition for visa issuance. The required sum will be no less than $5,000, with potential amounts reaching $10,000 or $15,000, serving as collateral that is returned if visa terms are met, or forfeited if the stay is over the deadline.

The pilot program specifically targets foreign nationals from countries identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as having high visa overstay rates and, according to a separate report, deficient internal document security controls. While the initial notice did not specify which countries would be impacted, subsequent reports mentioned countries like Malawi and Zambia as potential examples. The program will apply to B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourism) nonimmigrant visas, and those required to pay bonds will also need to enter and depart the United States from a pre-selected list of airports.

The State Department justified this initiative by stating it is a "key pillar of the Trump Administration's foreign policy to protect the United States from the clear national security threat posed by visa overstays." However, critics have denounced the bond scheme as a 'legalised shakedown,' arguing it profits from vulnerable, lawful travelers and could make the visa process unaffordable for many.

This new bond requirement comes amidst other tightening measures for visa applicants by the Trump administration. Recently, the State Department announced that many visa renewal applicants would now have to submit to an additional in-person interview, a requirement not previously enforced. Additionally, the department is proposing that applicants for the Diversity Visa Lottery program must hold valid passports from their country of citizenship. The specific list of affected countries for the bond program is expected to be released once the program officially takes effect.

It is important to note that the bond requirement could be waived depending on an applicant's specific circumstances. Furthermore, it will not apply to citizens of countries enrolled in the Visa Waiver Program, which facilitates business or tourism travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa. The majority of the 42 countries participating in this program are located in Europe, along with others in Asia, the Middle East, and elsewhere.

Historically, visa bonds have been proposed in the past but were never implemented, primarily due to concerns about the cumbersome process of posting and discharging bonds, and the potential for public misperception. However, the State Department's current view is that this traditional stance "is not supported by any recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have not generally been required in any recent period," signaling a shift in approach to addressing visa overstays.