US Revises List Of Nations Under New Visa Bond Program. Should Indians Worry?

The United States has updated the list of countries whose nationals must post a visa bond in order to enter America.

The Donald Trump administration has announced a new Visa bond pilot program. The 12-month-long visa bond pilot program began on August 20, 2025, and will be there until August 5, 2026.

It applies to foreigners applying for US visas as temporary visitors, nationals of countries with high visa overstay rates, or those countries offering Citizenship by Investment plans to foreigners. Before visa approval, travelers are required to pay a bond of up to $15,000, which will be decided by the consulate officials.

Who Are Applicable?

The pilot program is applicable to foreigners seeking visas as temporary visitors for either work or leisure (B-1/B-2) and who

are citizens of nations specified by the department.

Every visa holder who has posted a bond is required by law to enter and depart the US via Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Visa Bond Compliance

The full visa bond amount will be returned if the applicant follows all terms of their non-immigrant visa status and the visa bond. These terms are set on the bond form (Department of Homeland Security’s Form I-352 Immigration Bonds) and on Travel.State.Gov.

In the following situations, the bond will be instantly terminated and the money will be refunded.

The visa holder leaves the US on or before the date they are permitted to stay there; or

The visa holder does not go to the US before the visa expiration date; or

At the point of entry into the US, the visa holder requests entry but gets rejected.

List Of Countries On Visa Bond

As per the updated list, three nations have been listed on the visa bond program. The Gambia (added on October 11, 2025), Malawi, and Zambia (both included on August 20, 2025).

Should Indians Be Worried?

A visa overstay is classified as “a nonimmigrant who was lawfully admitted to the US for an authorised period but stayed beyond their admission period.”

As per the study, India registered 3,822 overstays in 2023, resulting in a 1.58% overall overstay rate. The overstay rate was 1.29% for B1/B2 visas.