ASTANA — The United States has introduced visa bond requirements of up to $15,000 for citizens of several Central Asian countries applying for tourist and business visas.
Photo credit: Reuters
Under a pilot program implemented by the U.S. Department of State, nationals of the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan have been added to the list of countries whose citizens may be required to post a visa bond when applying for B-1/B-2 (business and tourist) visas. The bond amount may be $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 and is determined individually by a consular officer at the visa interview.
For citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, the visa bond requirement will take effect on Jan. 21. For Turkmenistan, the requirement applies starting Jan. 1, according to the U.S. Department of State on Jan. 6.
According to the program rules, applicants must submit Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 (Immigration Bond) and post a visa bond only after a consular officer directs them to do so. Bond payments must be made exclusively through the U.S. Treasury’s official online platform Pay.gov. Posting a bond does not guarantee visa issuance, and payments made without consular authorization are not refundable.
As a condition of the visa bond, travelers must enter and exit the United States only through designated ports of entry, including Boston Logan International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The visa bond will be canceled, and the funds returned automatically if the Department of Homeland Security records the traveler’s timely departure from the United States, if the visa holder does not travel before the visa expires, or if admission to the United States is denied at the port of entry.
However, the bond may be breached and forfeited if the visa holder violates its terms, including overstaying the authorized period of stay, remaining unlawfully in the United States, or applying to adjust nonimmigrant status, including filing an asylum application.
