The US visa bond programme has been made permanent at a maximum of $20,000 for travellers from 50 countries, a move that is cutting off legitimate family travel (including visits to funerals and weddings) for communities such as Tonga’s diaspora in the United States.
How the US Visa Bond Programme Changed From Pilot to Final Rule
During the pilot phase, consular officers could require bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or up to $15,000. According to Reuters, the final rule eliminates the $5,000 tier entirely and raises the ceiling to $20,000. The rule was scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on 3 August, the date it came into force.
The US Department of State confirmed a $15,000 bond requirement for B1/B2 tourist and business visitors from 50 countries when the programme launched. In April, 12 more countries were added to the list, and the bond has now been raised to its new permanent ceiling. The requirement applies on top of the standard, non-refundable $185 visa application fee, which is payable regardless of outcome.
The bond itself is refundable, either when an application is denied or when the traveller departs the United States within the terms of their visa. The Federal Register final rule also introduces an automatic inflation adjustment: beginning 1 October 2027, and every seven years thereafter, the maximum bond amount will be revised upward in line with inflation.
Of the 50 countries whose nationals are subject to the programme, Reuters reports that 30 are in Africa, making the continent disproportionately affected by the policy across all income brackets.
Tonga and the Human Cost of the Bond Requirement
The Tongan diaspora in the United States is concentrated in Hawaii, California and Utah, and members typically enter on B1/B2 visas. Mo’ungaloa Afu, a Tonga-based travel agent who specialises in US visa applications, told ABC News Australia that clients have been left in tears because they cannot afford the bond and are therefore unable to attend funerals of relatives living in the US. Afu, who has family members including an ageing mother and siblings in the United States, said the bond has made her own future visits considerably harder.
The financial arithmetic is brutal for many Tongan applicants. Annual income for many Tongans runs at around $20,000 or less, meaning the bond alone can represent an entire year’s earnings. Afu said that even a $10,000 bond was beyond reach for many of her clients. Compounding the cost, the US embassy in Tonga does not process visa applications, requiring applicants to travel to Fiji (itself on the bond list) simply to attend an interview, adding further expense before a single dollar of bond money is posted.
Nepal and Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) were both added to the programme in January alongside Tonga. A couple whose wedding had been planned for 4 July 2026 in Wisconsin reported on their wedding website that the groom’s Nepalese parents had their visa applications denied because of the bond requirement, forcing the cancellation of their wedding shower and the postponement of their Nepalese wedding ceremony.
Cape Verdean goalkeeper Josimar ‘Vozinha’ Dias found his mother unable to travel to the United States to watch him play at the FIFA World Cup after Cape Verde was added to the programme. Vozinha said they were unable to manage the bond in time. The US government temporarily suspended the programme for World Cup ticket holders, and following Vozinha’s performance against Spain, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries intervened, speaking with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Jeffries subsequently stated that ‘all fees have been waived consistent with official policy.’
Compliance Data Behind the Permanent Decision
The State Department’s rationale for making the US visa bond programme permanent rests on compliance figures from a year-long review. A draft notice posted in the Federal Register on 31 July reported ‘sufficient data’ showing the programme had driven an 83% drop in business and tourist visa issuance to the 50 affected countries. Around 45,500 travellers from those countries overstayed their visas in 2024; after the bond was introduced, that figure fell to fewer than 50.
Across all non-Visa Waiver Programme countries, the US government recorded 283,121 total overstays from B1/B2 entrants arriving by air and sea in the 2024 fiscal year, excluding Canada and Mexico, representing a 2.33% overstay rate. The bond programme’s targeted reduction within the 50 listed countries appears to have driven the decision to both raise and permanently extend the requirement.
The inflation-adjustment clause in the Federal Register final rule means the $20,000 ceiling is unlikely to be the programme’s final word: the first automatic review is set for 1 October 2027.
