Visa applicants from 12 new countries require a bond of up to US $15,000 Immigration News

The Trump administration has introduced measures to restrict legal and illegal immigration to the US.

The United States Department of State has added a dozen countries to a list that requires visa applicants to post $15,000 bonds for entry into the US.

Wednesday’s expansion of the list is the latest move by President Donald Trump to restrict immigration to the US, mostly from non-Western countries.

The 12 additional countries bring the total number of countries subject to sanctions to 50. Most of them are African countries and critics argue that most of the bonds discriminate against low-income travelers.

But the Trump administration has defended the policy as a way to shorten visa durations.

“The visa bond program has already been effective in drastically reducing the number of visa recipients who overstay their visas and remain in the United States illegally,” the State Department wrote in a news release Wednesday.

It explained that approximately 1,000 visas have been issued under the bond program and that 97 percent of recipients have left the US within their visa’s expiration date.

The bonds are applied to B-1 and B-2 visas issued to business visitors and tourists, respectively.

The cost is set according to three levels: $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. “The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview,” the State Department says on its website.

Paying a bond does not guarantee that a visa will be issued. The bond is ultimately refunded if the visa application is rejected, entry to the US does not occur, or the recipient complies with the terms of the visa.

The new countries added to the list are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia.

The bonds will be enforced from April 2 for visa applicants from those countries. In a news release Wednesday, the State Department hinted that it reserves the right to further expand the program in the future.

“The department may continue to place visa bonds in countries based on the extent of the immigration risk factor,” it said.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has largely implemented initiatives to restrict both legal and illegal immigration, particularly from poor and non-Western countries.

The bond program was initially launched last August, described by the Trump administration as a means to increase government revenue and increase screenings for short-term travelers.

Trump previously tried to enact a similar program in 2020, the final full year of his first term. But that year’s COVID-19 pandemic prevented the program from being implemented.

However, the Republican leader’s second term has redoubled his efforts to restrict immigration.

In addition to bond requirements on some countries, the Trump administration in January suspended visa processing for immigrants from 75 countries, a move that has been challenged in court.

It has pursued an aggressive campaign of mass deportations, claiming to have carried out 675,000 removals in January.

Along with those efforts, Trump officials have sought to roll back legal immigration programs such as temporary protected status and humanitarian parole. It has also suspended most asylum claims and introduced the lowest refugee admissions threshold in US history.

Refugee admissions prioritize white South Africans, according to the Trump administration, which has said Africans are persecuted.

The wave of restrictive policies has affected tourism and raised questions about access to the upcoming World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.