No hoax: US now requires some tourists to pay up to $15,000 visa bond

Visitors to the US on B-1 and B-2 visas may now be asked to pay bonds of up to $15,000, a pilot programme to curb overstays that has sparked scam fears

Flying to the US? Starting today, August 20, 2025, you may need to pay an additional bond of up to $15,000 (around Rs 13 lakh) before you land there.

 

The move is part of a pilot programme designed to discourage visitors from overstaying their visas, according to a government notice seen by Business Standard.

 

Which visas are affected and who decides

 

The bonds apply to B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas. Consular officers will decide whether to impose them, choosing between three levels:

 

< $5,000

< $10,000

< $15,000

 

The notice said $10,000 will be the default expectation. Travellers who leave the US within their authorised stay will get their money back.

 

 

This programme is tied to Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which directs the Departments of Treasury, State, and Homeland Security to set up a bond administration system under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

 

A State Department spokesperson said countries will be identified based on “high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations.”

 

Confusion and scam fears among travellers

 

The scheme has already sparked uncertainty among applicants. “Clients who are calling around the world who are applying for tourist visas, you know, they're saying, ‘Is this real? It sounds fake. Is it AI? You know, am I being scammed? I'm like, no, it's true,’” said Joseph Tsang, a Los Angeles-based immigration attorney, in a video post.

 

“Why does it look like a scam? Because even before you apply for the visa, you have to pay this bond and your tourist visa is still not guaranteed. It is a terrible programme,” Tsang said.

 

He added, “Moreover, immigration bonds do not actually deter people overstaying their visa. Here's why: if someone really wants to break the immigration law and come into the US and change status and adjust status, they will just pay it because they anyway had to.”

 

Which countries may be affected

 

No official list has been released yet, but countries in Africa and Asia with high overstay records are expected to face the new requirement. The notice pointed to nations previously targeted by Donald Trump’s travel ban, such as Chad, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar and Yemen.

 

Customs and Border Protection data for 2023 showed Burundi, Djibouti and Togo among those with high overstay rates. The report also recorded 12,882 Indian nationals who overstayed their B-1 or B-2 visas that year.

 

Trump’s immigration crackdown continues

 

The bond initiative comes as part of wider immigration controls under Trump’s second term. In June, he signed a travel ban covering citizens of 19 countries on security grounds.

 

The measures are already shaping travel patterns. Transatlantic airfares in May fell to pre-pandemic levels, while cross-border travel from Canada and Mexico dropped 20 per cent year-on-year.

 

Las Vegas, one of America’s busiest tourist cities, reported weaker summer numbers. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said just under 3.1 million tourists visited in June, down 11 per cent from 2024. International arrivals fell 13 per cent and hotel occupancy dropped about 15 per cent. Some officials have linked the slump to tariffs and immigration restrictions.

 

Extra fee on the way

 

Alongside the bond programme, a $250 “visa integrity fee” will take effect from October 1. The fee was approved in a July spending package and will be charged once a non-immigrant visa is granted.

 

“If implemented, the US will have one of, if not the highest, visitor visa fees in the world,” said the US Travel Association. The group estimates the bond programme will affect around 2,000 applicants from countries with low travel volume to the US.