U.S. to Require Up to $15,000 Bond for Some Tourist and Business Visa Applicants — Filipinos May Be Affected

By Arianne Lacanilao, Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Starting August 20, 2025, the United States will implement a 12-month pilot program that may require certain foreign nationals, including some Filipinos, to pay a refundable bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 when applying for a B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourist) visa.

The new rule is meant to discourage visa overstays. The bond works like a security deposit—if the traveler follows all U.S. visa rules and leaves before their visa expires, the money will be fully refunded. However, if they overstay or break the conditions of their visa, the bond will be forfeited.

Visa officers at U.S. embassies and consulates will decide who must pay the bond and how much, based on the applicant’s travel history, documents, and risk profile. Most bonds will be $10,000, but it can be lowered to $5,000 in cases of financial hardship, or raised to $15,000 if there’s concern that the applicant might not return home.

So far, the U.S. has not yet released the official list of countries covered by this rule. But the Philippines may be included, depending on the overstay data and immigration risk levels considered by the U.S. State Department. The list will be posted on travel.state.gov at least 15 days before the policy begins, and may be updated as the program runs.

The U.S. said this pilot will only affect a small number of travelers—around 2,000 applicants over one year. The focus is on travelers from countries with high overstay rates, limited vetting systems, or “citizenship by investment” programs with no real residency.

Travelers who are asked to pay a bond will receive a single-entry visa that allows them to visit the U.S. for up to 30 days, even though the visa itself will be valid for three months. The bond must be paid before the visa is granted.

Another rule to watch out for: beginning October 1, 2025, a new $250 “visa integrity fee” will be added for some visa applications—making travel to the U.S. even more expensive for many.

This is not the first time this idea has been proposed. A similar bond policy was introduced in 2020, during the Trump administration, but was paused due to the pandemic. This time, the U.S. government says the pilot will test how practical it is to collect and refund visa bonds, and whether it could become a long-term tool for immigration control.

Some immigration experts and travel groups worry that this policy could hurt honest travelers—especially those from countries like the Philippines—where families often save up for years just to visit the U.S. The upfront cost, they say, could make travel out of reach for many.

For now, the policy is not yet final for the Philippines—but Filipinos planning to visit the U.S. are advised to keep watch for updates in the coming weeks.