US has identified two countries whose nationals will have to buy a refundable bond before entering America. The Department of State has identified nationals of Malawi and Zambia as subject to visa bonds, based on their B1/B2 overstay rate per the Department of Homeland Security’s FY 2023 Overstay Report.
This list may be amended throughout the pilot, with 15 days from announcement to enactment.
Visa Bond Pilot Program
US has introduced visa bonds for temporary visitors entering America. Travellers will have to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers.
The 12-month-long visa bond pilot program is an initiative announced by the Department of State. This visa bond pilot program begins from August 20, 2025, until August 5, 2026.
Foreigners applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the foreigner obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program.
Visa overstay is defined as “a nonimmigrant who was lawfully admitted to the United States for an authorized period but stayed in the United States beyond their authorized admission period.”
Overstay Rates
According to the report, for FY 2023, B1/B2 Overstay Rates for Malawi were 14.32% ( by land) and 4.17% (by air, sea). For students entering the US holding F-1 Study visa ,M,J visas, the overstay rate was 19.71%. Even Zambia has overtay rates of over 10%.
Comparatively, in 2023, for India, there were 3,822 overstays recorded, with a total overstay rate of 1.58%. For B1/B2 visas, the overstay rate was 1.29%.
Starting August 20, 2025, any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond in amounts of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, determined at the time of visa interview.
The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 agreeing to the terms of the bond, through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov. This requirement applies regardless of the place of application.
Visa Bond Compliance
The full visa bond amount will be returned to the applicant if the applicant complies with all the terms of the nonimmigrant visa status and with the terms of the visa bond.
The bond will be canceled and the bond money will be automatically returned in the following circumstances:
The visa holder departs from the United States on or before the date to which he or she is authorized to remain in the United States; or
The visa holder does not travel to the United States before the expiration of the visa; or
The visa holder applies for and is denied admission at the U.S. port of entry.