Pakistan Escapes New US Visa Bond Rules as Washington Expands Travel Security Measures
The United States has made its visitor visa bond programme permanent, but Pakistan remains off the list of 50 countries whose travellers could face refundable deposits of up to $20,000.
A traveller applies for a US visitor visa under updated immigration rules.
US Visa policy has undergone a major change after the United States permanently introduced its visitor visa bond programme. The new rules require selected travellers from 50 countries to provide refundable financial guarantees before receiving a visa. However, the US has excluded Pakistan from the expanded scheme. The decision offers relief to many Pakistani applicants planning to visit the United States.
The new regulations took effect on August 1. They allow US consular officers to ask selected applicants for B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas to deposit between $10,000 and $20,000. The refundable bond aims to reduce visa overstays and improve compliance with US immigration laws.
More than 100 words into the article – US Visa officials said they made the programme permanent after reviewing the 2025 pilot. The State Department said the pilot sharply reduced visa overstays. Travellers from the 50 participating countries recorded 45,488 overstays in 2024. During the first 10 months of the pilot, officials recorded fewer than 50 overstays.
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Pakistan Remains Outside the Programme
The State Department also said the financial guarantee reduced visa issuances. Some applicants chose not to continue their applications instead of paying the refundable bond.
The US Federal Register does not list Pakistan among the participating countries. Diplomatic sources also confirmed that the programme does not cover Pakistan.
In South Asia, the programme covers Bangladesh and Nepal. Selected applicants from those countries may need to pay the bond. The US has also excluded India from the programme. Afghanistan and Iran are absent because Washington does not maintain normal diplomatic relations with either country.
How the Visa Bond Works
The US launched the pilot programme in 2025. It has now made the policy permanent. The revised rules increase the maximum refundable bond from $15,000 to $20,000. They also remove the previous $5,000 minimum bond.
The programme now covers 50 countries. These include 30 African nations and several countries across Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
US consular officers will decide each case individually. They will not require every applicant from the listed countries to pay a bond. Instead, officers will assess the risk before issuing a visitor visa.
Visitors who follow all visa conditions will receive a full refund after leaving the United States on time. Those who overstay or break visa rules will lose the refundable deposit.
