US makes visa bond rule permanent with deposits of up to $20,000 for 50 countries. Is India included?

The United States has made its visa bond programme permanent, allowing consular officers to require certain foreign nationals applying for business and tourist visas to deposit a bond of up to $20,000 before their visa is issued.

The policy, announced in a notice published in the Federal Register on Friday, will take effect on August 3 and applies to applicants seeking B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourist) visas from 50 countries, most of them in Africa.

Under the new rule, consular officers will have the discretion to require eligible applicants to post a financial bond as a condition for receiving a visa.

Why has the programme been made permanent?

The visa bond programme was launched as a pilot initiative in 2025 to assess whether requiring refundable financial deposits could reduce the number of visitors who overstay their visas.

According to the US government, the pilot generated sufficient evidence to support making the programme permanent, with officials concluding that the bond system can help improve compliance with visa conditions.

Is India affected?

No. India is not among the 50 countries covered by the programme.

While neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are included, Indian citizens applying for B-1 or B-2 visas will not be required to pay a visa bond under the current policy.

However, the US State Department has indicated that the list of eligible countries could be expanded in the future.

Part of broader immigration measures

The permanent visa bond programme is the latest immigration policy introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration.

During the pilot phase, applicants could be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. Under the new permanent rule, the $5,000 option has been removed, and the maximum bond amount has been increased to $20,000.

US officials say the measure is intended to deter visa overstays and strengthen immigration compliance. Critics, however, argue that the policy could discourage legitimate business travellers and tourists from visiting the United States.

The administration has also introduced stricter immigration measures in recent months, including higher visa fees for some categories and expanded social media screening for visa applicants and certain immigrants already residing in the US.