The U.S. Department of State announced on March 18 that it was expanding its visa bond pilot program to 12 additional countries, bringing the total to 38 nations; a further expansion will add 12 more countries to reach 50 total on April 2, 2026. Under the program, nationals from designated countries applying for B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourist) visitor visas must post a "Maintenance of Status and Departure Bond" of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 at the discretion of the consular officer, based on the applicant's individual risk profile. The bond is forfeited if the visa holder overstays or violates the terms of admission. Fox News reported the expansion under the headline "Trump admin expands visa bond requirement to 38 countries, fees up to $15K," while PBS NewsHour covered the policy in depth, including who is affected and how the bonds work.

The newly added countries include Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia — all characterized by the State Department as having elevated rates of visa overstays. The original program, established under a temporary final rule in August 2025, initially covered 26 countries, many in sub-Saharan Africa. The State Department cited program effectiveness in justifying the expansion: nearly 1,000 foreigners have received visas under the program, and 97 percent of bonded travelers returned home on time, compared to significantly higher overstay rates in prior years for the designated countries. Al Jazeera confirmed the 12-country addition and reported that the bond amounts represent amounts impossible for many citizens of lower-income nations to post.

PBS NewsHour published a detailed explainer on the program, noting that unlike a standard visa processing fee, the bond is a returnable deposit contingent on the traveler complying with the terms of admission. The program does not require a bond for travelers who have strong ties to their home country — such as family, property, or employment — that a consular officer deems sufficient guarantee of return. Immigrant rights advocates cited by NBCNews noted the program effectively bars many tourists and business travelers from lower-income countries from visiting the United States, arguing it creates a two-tier system in which wealth, rather than individual risk factors, determines visa access.

The administration has framed the bond program as a targeted, data-driven response to a specific enforcement problem: visa overstays, which represent a significant share of the undocumented immigrant population in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security has estimated that visa overstays account for approximately 40 to 45 percent of the total undocumented population — a figure DHS used in the congressional justification for the expansion. Fox News coverage emphasized the program's stated 97 percent compliance rate, calling it a successful pilot that justifies nationwide expansion. Conservative commentators argued the bond requirement is less burdensome than the alternative — visa denial — since it gives applicants from high-risk countries a pathway to entry they would not otherwise have had.