If you’re planning to visit the United States of America (USA) for tourism or business purposes, this news is for you! The Donald Trump-led administration is set to roll out a 12-month-long pilot program to curb visa overstay in the US. Under this program, select tourist and business visa applicants will have to shell out up to $15,000 (approximately INR 13,16,062) in bond deposits!
The US will require citizens from Malawi and Zambia, two countries with some of the highest visa overstay rates, to post a bond of up to $15,000. US Officials also say that applicants from some other countries might also be required to pay this deposit soon, however, the list of these countries is under wraps as of early August 2025. Here’s the entire scoop on this latest development in US visa rules.
INR 13 Lakh Deposit To Curb Visa Overstay: Official Notice, Countries Affected, And US Immigration Policies
The Visa Overstay Dilemma: Which Countries Will Be Affected?
Since his return to the Office in January 2025, US President Donald Trump has signed many orders to roll back humanitarian programs for migrants from certain countries living in the US.
As of August 2025, visa applicants from Malawi and Zambia are required to pay a $15,000 (about INR 13 Lakh) deposit for a tourist or business visa. This is because as per the 2023 figures published by the US Department of Homeland Security, 14% of Malawi visitors and 11% Zambian visitors overstay their visas – and these rates are some of the highest in the US.
Other countries with high visa overstay rates in the US include countries like Yemen (20%), Haiti (31%), and Myanmar (27%).
US State Department’s Official Notice About The New Visa Overstay Rules
The state department’s official notice states the following:
“Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program”.
Further, the notice also stated, “Consular officers may require covered non-immigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers”.
The US Government has said that it will start a 12-month-long pilot program under which visa applicants hailing from countries with high visa overstay rates and lack in internal document security will be required to shell bonds of $5,000 (approx INR 4,38,687), $10,000 (approx INR 8,77,375), or $15,000 (approx INR 13,16,062) when they apply for a US visa.
The official notice further stated that the pilot program would commence within 15 days of its formal publication. The notice also stated that the countries included in this list shall be revealed no earlier than 15 days before the actual commencement of the pilot program.
While the US government would not be financially liable if the visitor fails to comply with the terms of their visa, the bond could be waived by the federal government subject to the applicant’s individual circumstances.
Trump Administration On A Mission To Curb Illegal Immigration
Additionally, the Trump administration is aggressively taking actions to curb illegal immigration in the US, including deporting immigrants back to their countries and signing executive orders that curb down social security measures for immigrants. The decision to introduce a $15,000 deposit is one such ‘measure’ to fight back against illegal immigration and curb visa overstay in the US.
The Trump administration has also banned foreign nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Iran, and Myanmar among others, from traveling to the US. Similarly, it has imposed partial restrictions on seven other countries, including Cuba, Venezuela, Sierra Leone, and Laos.
It doesn’t end there – the US Government has revoked the visas of thousands of international students studying in the country and detained several others on college campuses. All without any warning, compensation, or recourse for appeals. The state department has said that it is targeting those who were involved in ‘activities that run counter’ to the national interests of the US.
Many students and immigrants targeted in this ‘activity’ were involved in some form of pro-Palestinian effort.
Summing Up
While there is no official announcement of the exact date of when this new policy will come into effect, it is certain that the US state government is taking big steps in curbing illegal immigration and visa overstays. With applicants having to shell out up to $15,000 in deposits, entering the US for tourism or business purposes has just become more difficult for citizens of a few countries. What do you think of this move?
