Trump admin expands visa bond program to 38 countries

The Trump administration is dramatically increasing a coverage that requires some international vacationers to put up bonds price as much as $15,000 earlier than getting into the US.

The State Division added 25 nations to its visa bond listing on Tuesday, practically tripling the full, shortly after including one other seven as a part of the Trump administration’s strikes to tighten immigration enforcement.

There are actually 38 nations topic to the requirement, most in Africa and others in Latin America and Asia, a transfer that might make acquiring a U.S. visa unaffordable for a lot of vacationers.

The bond requirement for the latest additions, together with Venezuela, will go into impact on January 21.

TRUMP STATE DEPARTMENT ORDERS GLOBAL VISA CRACKDOWN UNDER REVIVED ‘PUBLIC CHARGE’ RULE

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives for a closed-door assembly with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on December 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Pictures)

Vacationers eligible for a B1/B2 visa from nations on the listing should put up a deposit of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, with the quantity decided in the course of the visa interview, in accordance with a discover on the State Division’s web site.

Paying the deposit doesn’t assure the approval of a visa, however the quantity will likely be refunded if the visa is refused or if a visa holder proves that he meets the circumstances of the visa.

The growth follows a pilot program launched by the State Division in August that requires sure visa candidates from nations with excessive overstay charges and weak doc safety checks to pay a deposit.

HOMELAND SECURITY TO INVESTIGATE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS OF FOREIGN TOURISTS BEFORE ENTRY

Vacationers from sure nations will likely be required to put up bonds price as much as $15,000 underneath an expanded State Division coverage. (iStock)

The Trump administration made quite a few immigration coverage modifications final 12 months, affecting how folks journey, acquire visas and develop into residents in the US. Some measures are anticipated to return into impact in 2026.

The Trump administration is requiring residents from all nations requiring visas to take part in in-person interviews and disclose years of social media historical past, together with details about their households’ earlier journey and dwelling preparations.

STATE DEPARTMENT DEPENDS VISA ON MEXICAN LEADERS IN CRACKDOWN AGAINST MIGRANT Smuggling

President Donald Trump signed two govt orders on September 19, 2025, establishing the “Trump Gold Card” and introducing a $100,000 price for H-1B visas. The “Trump Gold Card” is a visa program that enables foreigners everlasting residency and a path to U.S. citizenship for a $1 million funding in the US. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Pictures)

The Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) carried out a brand new rule on December 26, 2025, increasing facial recognition for non-citizens getting into and leaving the US.

President Donald Trump additionally lately introduced the launch of the long-awaited “Trump Gold Card,” an immigration initiative designed to offer a brand new, streamlined path to U.S. citizenship, which he mentioned might generate billions of {dollars}.

The brand new nations added to the visa requirement from January 21 are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

International locations already on the listing embrace Bhutan, Botswana, Central African Republic, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, São Tomé and Principe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Zambia.

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Fox Information Digital has contacted the State Division for remark.

Fox Information Digital’s Greg Norman, Greg Wehner and The Related Press contributed to this report.