WHAT HAPPENED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a visa bond requirement for applicants from 12 countries, with bonds reaching up to $15,000.

WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary of State Marco Rubio and applicants from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.

WHEN & WHERE: The bond will take effect on April 2, as announced on Wednesday.

KEY QUOTE: “The law gives us the right, and in fact I would argue the obligation, to remove people like that from our country. And we’re going to continue to do it. I mean, it’s as simple as that.” – Marco Rubio

IMPACT: A total of 50 countries now face the visa bond requirement, impacting regions across Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, and Central Asia.

The U.S. State Department will impose visa bond requirements of up to $15,000 for applicants originating from 12 countries. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the bonds will take effect on April 2 and apply to visa applications filed by foreign nationals from Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.

“Our visa system—who you allow to visit your country should reflect the national interest! We said that from the very beginning,” Sec. Rubio said when announcing the move on Wednesday. He added, “The law gives us the right, and in fact I would argue the obligation, to remove people like that from our country. And we’re going to continue to do it. I mean, it’s as simple as that.”

Notably, the United States already imposes bond requirements on visa applicants from 38 countries. The 12 new countries will now bring that total to 50, spanning much of Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean, and Central Asia.

The visa bond policy is part of broader efforts to ensure compliance with U.S. immigration rules and to address overstays by foreign nationals—particularly applicants originating from countries with high rates of non-compliance with U.S. visa laws. The measure is expected to impact thousands of applicants from the affected regions.

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