Wealth-based immigration gatekeeping expands with visa bond list tripling

The Trump administration has expanded the number of countries whose passport holders must post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the U.S., bringing the total to 38 nations, with the latest additions taking effect Jan. 21.

Catch up: The State Department added a batch of seven, and then 25 more countries, to the visa bond list last week. The expansion affects three Central Asian states (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan) and three South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal). Pacific island nations Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are also affected. The bonds will be refunded if a visa is denied or when a visa holder demonstrates they have complied with the terms of their visa.

U.S. officials have defended the bonds, which range from $5,000 to $15,000, saying they ensure citizens of targeted countries do not overstay their visas. The program launched last August as a 12-month pilot targeting countries with high visa overstay rates, though actual numbers are often small. Bhutan’s 21.75% overstay rate, for instance, represented just 92 people, while Brazil’s 1.25% involved more than 21,300 overstays.

What this means: The bond expansion creates financial barriers for middle-class families seeking to visit relatives or attend events in the U.S. While Nepal’s overstay rate was just 3.12% (representing about 1,000 people), Nepali Americans now face the prospect of relatives being unable to afford the bond requirement.

The policy also adds to existing challenges. Last month, Indian H-1B visa holders remained stranded abroad after consular offices canceled interviews due to expanded social media screening, with some rescheduled into summer 2026. The expanded screening took effect Dec. 15 for all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, reducing daily interview capacity. This stands in sharp contrast with Trump’s “gold card” program, which offers expedited U.S. residency for $1 million.

The big picture: The visa bond program represents a shift toward wealth-based immigration gatekeeping. Combined with a new $250 “visa integrity” fee from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the standard $185 application fee, the cumulative costs make U.S. travel prohibitively expensive for citizens of countries where average annual incomes fall below the bond amount. Travelers under the program must enter and exit the U.S. via only three airports, adding further costs. For Pacific travelers, the east coast airport requirements also create difficult routing that adds to travel expenses.

The bond requirement for the 25 most recently added countries takes effect Jan. 21.