The United States has made permanent its visa bond program, under which citizens of selected countries applying for business or tourism (B-1/B-2) visas are required to deposit a bond of up to $20,000 before receiving a visa. However, Pakistan is not among the 50 countries.
According to a notice published in the US Federal Register, the program applies only to nationals of countries identified by the US State Department which fail to meet standards related to visa overstays, information sharing, screening and vetting, civil and criminal records, identity verification, and document security.
The bond is intended to ensure that visitors comply with the terms of their nonimmigrant status, including departing the United States before their authorized stay expires and not seeking asylum or refugee status after arrival.
The current list covers 50 countries. In Asia, the affected countries are Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Among South Asian nations, Bangladesh and Nepal are included, while India is not.
The US visa bond program targets nationals of countries failing to meet standards on visa overstays, security screening, identity verification, and documentation
However, Pakistan is not among the 50 countries. The list published in the Federal Register does not include Pakistan.
The United States also did not include Afghanistan and Iran, citing the absence of normal diplomatic relations with the two countries.
The latest Federal Register notice, scheduled for publication on August 3, said the pilot program had provided sufficient evidence to show that visa bonds are an effective tool for improving compliance among bonded visa holders.
According to the notice, there were 45,488 visa overstays from the 50 listed countries during FY2024.
