U.S. visa bonds could cost up to $15K for some foreign travellers

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The U.S. State Department plans to start running a pilot program this month that would require some foreign travellers to pay up to US$15,000 for a reimbursable visa bond that deters them from staying in the U.S. longer than they’re allowed for business or tourism.

Some details are outlined in a public notice that appeared Monday on the Federal Register, but many are still unclear, including which countries would be targeted by the program.

The pilot begins Aug. 20, according to a statement the State Department sent to The Washington Post. A cable with a signature from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that was obtained by The Post says the 12-month pilot program is intended “to protect America’s borders and the American people by holding foreign visitors accountable for departing the United States on time.” It will be aimed at countries with high visa overstay rates.

According to a Department of Homeland Security report on overstays in fiscal year 2023, several countries in Africa as well as Haiti, Myanmar and Yemen have some of the highest overstay rates for business or leisure travel visas.

People from countries that participate in the visa waiver program — those who do not have to apply for visas, in other words — would not be required to post visa bonds. That exempts travellers from 42 countries, including much of Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Qatar and Israel.

For couples or families, the potential upfront cost of US$10,000 or US$15,000 for each adult and US$5,000 for accompanying children could be prohibitive. The bonds would be cancelled for travellers who leave the country in the time frame allowed and comply with all the conditions of their visa.

According to the public notice, published Tuesday, the department assumes bonds would be required for 2,000 potential travellers during the pilot. The notice says the initial cost to travellers would be US$20 million total, if the average bond were US$10,000.

“However, assuming all nonimmigrants for whom bonds are posted comply with the terms and conditions of the bond, the actual bond amount is a temporary expenditure that will be fully refunded if cash bonds are posted,” the notice says.

The State Department planned a six-month visa bond pilot in 2020, but never implemented it as global travel dwindled during the pandemic.

Erik Hansen, senior vice president of government relations for the U.S. Travel Association, said in a statement that the pilot program’s scope “appears to be limited” and would likely only affect visitors from countries with a “relatively low travel volume” to the U.S.

The group said it was most concerned about a blanket $250 fee for visitors travelling on a nonimmigrant visa, which President Donald Trump signed into law last month.

“If this fee is implemented, the U.S. will have one of, if not the highest, visitor visa fees in the world,” Hansen said. “If we are to maintain a competitive position in the global travel market, it’s critical that U.S. visa policy reflects both national security priorities and the significant economic value of international visitation.”

Hannah Natanson, Andrea Sachs and Adam Taylor contributed to this report.