Washington: The United States has announced stricter visa norms for citizens of several countries, asking applicants from nearly 75 nations to comply with tougher conditions before visas are issued. As part of the new measures, Bangladesh has been significantly affected after Pakistan, with the US introducing a mandatory visa bond requirement aimed at curbing visa overstays and long-term unauthorised stays.
Under the revised rules, Bangladeshi citizens applying for US visas will be required to deposit a bond of up to $15,000 (around ₹13.6 lakh), the amount to be held as a refundable security deposit. The US had earlier imposed similar conditions on Pakistan. According to US immigration authorities, the policy is intended to discourage visa holders from settling permanently, overstaying, or violating visa conditions.
The US Embassy in Dhaka announced that the bond requirement will apply to B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) visas from January 21, 2026. The bond amount may be set at $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, depending on the applicant’s profile, and will be determined during the visa interview. The embassy has cautioned applicants against making any advance payments, warning that such payments do not guarantee visa approval and that third-party websites offering such services may be fraudulent.
As part of the new conditions, affected visa holders will also be required to travel only through designated international airports, including major hubs such as New York JFK, Washington Dulles and Los Angeles International Airport. The embassy said strict adherence to all visa rules would be mandatory, failing which the bond amount would be forfeited.
The US State Department has released a list of 38 countries whose citizens will be subject to the visa bond requirement under a pilot programme aimed at reducing visa overstay rates. Besides Bangladesh, the list includes countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific, such as Nigeria, Nepal, Bhutan, Cuba, Senegal, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.