US pilots B visa bond scheme for ‘overstay risk’ nations

In a temporary final rule (TFR) published on 5th August 2025, the Department of State confirmed that the visa bond pilot scheme will run from August 20th, 2025 until August 5th, 2026.

“Aliens 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 alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program,” the Department of State said in the introduction to the rule.

Currently, only Malawi and Zambia have been listed as subject to the pilot bond scheme, although the list of countries affected can change during the pilot scheme, with 15 days’ notice to be given.

Nationals of affected countries applying for B visas will need to pay a bond of US$5,000, US$10,000 or US$15,000, based on a consular officer’s assessment.

Visas issued under the visa bond pilot program will be valid for a single entry visit within three months of the date of issue.

The bond will be returned if the visa holder leaves the USA on or before the date they are authorized to remain until, if the holder does not travel, or is denied entry to the USA.

As previously reported, a travel ban is already in place on 19 countries, which prevents all travel from 12 and suspends non-immigration visas, including F-1 students visas and B-1/B-2 travel visas from a further seven nations.

In the TFR on bonds, the Department of State said, “The Pilot Program will enable the Department to assess the operational feasibility of posting, processing, and discharging visa bonds, in coordination with the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security, and to inform any future decision concerning the possible use of visa bonds to ensure non-immigrants using these visa categories comply with the terms and conditions of their visas and timely depart the United States.”

The bond pilot program will only apply to B-1/B-2 visas and will not be applied to student visas. In the text of the TFR, the Department of State said that B visas are being used for the pilot scheme because they are fixed term visas, while student visas have ‘duration of status’ that allows them to remain as long as they maintain the conditions of the visa.

However, the Trump administration has recently flagged its intention to remove ‘duration of status’ from student visas.

In late June, the Department of Homeland Security submitted a proposed rule to end duration of status to the Office of Management and Budget for review, reviving a policy that was on the agenda during the previous Trump administration.