Under the Visa Bond Pilot Program, consular officers may require certain B‑1/B‑2 applicants to post a refundable bond if they determine the applicant presents a higher risk of overstaying their authorized period of stay in the U.S.
Consular officers refund the bond when the traveler departs on time. They make bond decisions on a case‑by‑case basis rather than applying them automatically.
The State Department first implemented the program in 2020 and has expanded it several times based on updated Department of Homeland Security overstay data.