US adds Venezuela, 24 other countries to $15,000 visa bond requirement

Visitors from 25 newly added countries may need to post bonds of up to $15,000 for B1/B2 visas under a Trump-era pilot scheme

US President Donald Trump’s administration has added 25 more countries to a list of nations whose citizens may be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, according to the State Department website updated on Tuesday. India does not feature on the list.  

The expanded list now covers 38 countries, largely from Africa, Latin America and South Asia. The State Department said the requirement for the newly added countries will take effect on January 21.

 

Venezuela is among the countries included. The move comes days after Venezuela’s toppled leader, Nicolas Maduro, was seized by US forces over the weekend and taken to New York.

 

 

What the visa bond requirement means

 

The State Department said travellers affected by the policy must post a bond if they are otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visitor visa.

 

“Any citizen or national travelling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000,” the department said on its website.

 

It added that the bond amount will be decided during the visa interview. 

 

How applicants must pay

 

Applicants will need to agree to the bond conditions and complete payment through the US Treasury Department’s online platform.

 

Applicants must:

 

< Agree to the bond terms during the visa process

< Make payment through Pay.gov, the State Department said

 

The bond is refundable if visa conditions are met, including leaving the United States within the authorised stay.

 

Why the policy was introduced

 

The visa bond scheme began as a pilot programme in August, with a smaller group of countries initially covered.

 

The US government has said the bonds are intended to deter visitors from overstaying visas issued for tourism or business travel.

 

Wider immigration crackdown

 

Since returning to office last January, Trump has pursued a hard-line immigration approach. This has included a broad deportation drive, revoking visas and green cards, and screening immigrants’ social media activity and past public statements.

 

Human rights groups have criticised the administration’s immigration and travel measures, arguing that they weaken due process protections and restrict free speech. Trump and his allies have defended the policies, saying they are needed to strengthen domestic security.