The U.S. State Department is moving forward with a controversial program that requires certain short-term visitors to post a cash bond before they can obtain B-1/B-2 business or tourist visas. A draft final rule, published late Friday in the Federal Register and obtained by the Associated Press, converts what had been a one-year pilot into a permanent fixture of U.S. visa policy. Under the rule, travelers from 50 mostly African nations—countries the Department says have “persistently high overstay rates” and limited law-enforcement data-sharing—must deposit a refundable bond of up to $20,000 before they will be scheduled for a visa interview. The pilot had capped the bond at $15,000 and included lower tiers of $5,000 and $10,000; the new regulation eliminates the lower tier and raises the ceiling. Applicants who are refused a visa, or who receive the visa and depart the United States on time, get the money back with interest; those who overstay forfeit the bond, which is applied to removal costs. The program was first unveiled in August 2025 by the Trump administration as part of a broader effort to discourage visa overstays. According to State Department data cited in the rule, overstays from the 50 targeted countries fell from roughly 45,500 in 2024 to fewer than 50 during the first ten months of the pilot—an outcome officials hail as proof the bond is a powerful compliance tool. Yet the requirement has also produced a sharp 83 percent decline in the number of visitor visas issued to nationals of the listed countries, significantly curtailing legitimate business and family travel. Human-rights groups and multinational companies with African operations argue that the program is discriminatory and imposes an insurmountable financial hurdle on entrepreneurs, students and relatives of U.S. residents. A $20,000 bond represents more than five years of average wages in some of the affected states. Critics also note that many targeted nations are key partners for U.S. investment in critical minerals, renewable energy and telecommunications. By dampening business travel, they warn, the policy could undercut Washington’s broader economic and security objectives on the continent. Practical implications for firms are immediate. Corporate mobility managers with assignees or frequent travelers from the affected countries will need to budget for the higher bond amount and build in additional lead time; the deposit must clear before an interview slot is granted, further lengthening an already backlogged process. Employers may also need to arrange short-term U.S. assignments on alternative visa categories (for example, H-1B, L-1 or J-1) that are exempt from the bond—though these paths entail their own quotas and compliance burdens. Companies with large supplier or customer footprints in Africa are therefore re-evaluating meeting strategies, shifting more engagements to virtual platforms or holding events in third-country hubs such as Dubai or London. The final regulation takes effect Monday, August 3, 2026; the Department has signaled that it may expand the country list in future years if overstay metrics do not improve elsewhere. Legal challenges are expected, but for now the bond is poised to become a lasting—and costly—feature of U.S. visitor-visa policy.
Source: Associated Press
