The Trump administration has launched a pilot program that seeks to address visa overstays by charging bonds of up to $15,000 for citizens from seven African countries seeking to obtain visitors visas.
The State Department in a final ruling it published on Thursday, said by October 23, 2025 there will be a total of seven African countries on the pilot program; Mali, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, The Gambia, Malawi and Zambia.
In addition to the hefty bond, travelers that post the required bond must enter and exit the United States through three designated ports of entry:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
The pilot program is scheduled to run through August 2026. If the pilot is successful in reducing visa overstays, it might be introduced beyond African nations.
While $15,000 is the highest bond that can be posted, consular officers have the discretion to charge either $5,000 or $10,000. Bonds must be paid using the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Bond Form I-352 and payment completed on pay.gov.
The bond is separate from the normal visa application fee of $185, plus an extra $250 “visa integrity fee” which went into effect recently as part of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” That brings the actual visa application fee to $435, which will apply to everyone seeking a nonimmigrant visa to the U.S.
The State Department also cautioned that posting a bond is not a guarantee that a visa will be issued. Applicants should only pay the bond once the consular officer has directed them to do so. “If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, this person will not get that money back,” the advisory read.
If a visa is issued after a bond has been posted, it would be automatically refunded once the visa holder complies with all entry and exit requirements.
In 2024, 11 million people obtained nonimmigrant visas (commonly the B1/B2 category), according to statistics from the U.S. Department of State.
When the visa bond pilot program gathered steam in the summer and was nearing implementation, the state department published in the Federal Register that “This Pilot Program responds to Executive Order 14159, “Protecting The American People Against Invasion,” which directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, to “establish a system to facilitate the administration of all bonds” under the provisions of the INA (Immigration and Nationality Act).”
How to avoid losing your bond: enter and depart at the designated three airports and do so within the specified date on your visa. If you depart the U.S. on time but do so at the wrong airport, you will lose your bond.
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About Tom Gitaa Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the boards of New Vision Foundation and the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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