US waives $20,000 visa bond for Pakistanis

Pakistan has been excluded from the United States' newly permanent visa bond programme, meaning Pakistani applicants will not be required to deposit

Pakistan has been excluded from the United States’ newly permanent visa bond programme, meaning Pakistani applicants will not be required to deposit a refundable financial guarantee of up to $20,000 when applying for certain US visitor visas.

The United States has officially made its 2025 Visa Bond Pilot Program a permanent policy. Under the programme, nationals of selected countries applying for business or tourist visas must provide a refundable financial bond ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 as part of the visa application process.

According to international reports, the revised policy increases the maximum refundable bond amount from $15,000 to $20,000 for eligible applicants from countries included in the programme.

The list reportedly includes around 50 countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, and several African nations.

Pakistan is not included in the list of countries subject to the visa bond requirement. Afghanistan, India, and Iran are also excluded from the programme.

As a result, Pakistani citizens applying for US visitor visas will continue to follow the standard visa application process without the additional refundable financial guarantee required under the permanent visa bond policy.