Bangladeshi nationals applying for B-1/B-2 visitor visas at the US Consulate in Dubai will, from 21 January, be subject to a discretionary visa-bond ranging from US $5,000 to US $15,000, Gulf News reported on 19 January (gulfnews.com). The measure is an extension of Washington’s 2020 ‘visa-bond pilot’ aimed at discouraging overstays from countries with high violation rates.
Consular officers will decide case-by-case whether an applicant—after being found otherwise eligible—must post the bond. Payment is made through a US Treasury-approved escrow service and is refundable when the traveller departs the United States on time. Failure to leave, or to provide proof of timely departure, forfeits the bond.
For applicants seeking professional assistance with the paperwork and shifting requirements, VisaHQ's UAE portal offers end-to-end support—including DS-160 preparation, interview scheduling and guidance on securing and ultimately reclaiming the bond. Their team’s local presence in Dubai makes it easier to submit supplementary evidence quickly; full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/.
![US Imposes Visa-Bond of up to $15,000 on Bangladeshi Applicants in UAE]()
For Bangladeshi professionals based in the UAE, the change materially raises the cost of short business trips; companies may need to front a bond equivalent to 55,000 AED. Travel-policy teams should create explicit reimbursement procedures and build the cash-outlay into budgeting cycles, as refunds typically take 60–90 days after the traveller’s return.
Immigration lawyers warn that high-risk designations can spread; Sri Lankan, Nigerian and Ugandan residents in the Gulf were added to the bond list in 2025. HR departments are advised to monitor future Federal Register notices and to gather robust evidence of ties to the UAE—such as tenancy contracts and corporate NOCs—to help staff avoid bond imposition.
The US Embassy in Dhaka stressed on social media that applicants must not pre-pay bonds before their visa interview, and that courier or agent services claiming to ‘guarantee bond waivers’ are fraudulent.
Consular officers will decide case-by-case whether an applicant—after being found otherwise eligible—must post the bond. Payment is made through a US Treasury-approved escrow service and is refundable when the traveller departs the United States on time. Failure to leave, or to provide proof of timely departure, forfeits the bond.
For applicants seeking professional assistance with the paperwork and shifting requirements, VisaHQ's UAE portal offers end-to-end support—including DS-160 preparation, interview scheduling and guidance on securing and ultimately reclaiming the bond. Their team’s local presence in Dubai makes it easier to submit supplementary evidence quickly; full details are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/.
For Bangladeshi professionals based in the UAE, the change materially raises the cost of short business trips; companies may need to front a bond equivalent to 55,000 AED. Travel-policy teams should create explicit reimbursement procedures and build the cash-outlay into budgeting cycles, as refunds typically take 60–90 days after the traveller’s return.
Immigration lawyers warn that high-risk designations can spread; Sri Lankan, Nigerian and Ugandan residents in the Gulf were added to the bond list in 2025. HR departments are advised to monitor future Federal Register notices and to gather robust evidence of ties to the UAE—such as tenancy contracts and corporate NOCs—to help staff avoid bond imposition.
The US Embassy in Dhaka stressed on social media that applicants must not pre-pay bonds before their visa interview, and that courier or agent services claiming to ‘guarantee bond waivers’ are fraudulent.
