The US State Department quietly extended its controversial B-1/B-2 visa-bond pilot on 2 April, adding 12 nations and bringing the total to 50. Under the programme, applicants deemed a potential overstay risk must lodge a refundable cash bond of US $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 before a visa is issued.
![US expands visa-bond scheme to 50 countries—What it means for UAE residents]()
VisaHQ’s UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) can streamline this process by clarifying which nationalities are subject to the bond, providing up-to-date fee calculators and appointment-scheduling tools, and offering concierge assistance for companies that need to coordinate multiple applications at once.
Why does this matter in the UAE? Nearly 60 % of the country’s expatriate population comes from bond-listed states such as Bangladesh, Nigeria, Nepal and—newly—Ethiopia. Residents holding those passports who apply for a US tourist or business visa in Dubai or Abu Dhabi now have to budget an extra AED 18,000–55,000 on top of the standard US $185 application fee. Immigration advisers warn the out-of-pocket cash could equal two to three months’ salary for many mid-level staff, effectively pricing some out of short-term US assignments. The bond must be paid online through the US Treasury’s Pay.gov portal within a strict ten-day window after the visa interview. Travellers must also enter and exit the United States via commercial airports so that US Customs and Border Protection can record compliance and trigger the refund. Overstays forfeit the entire amount, and employers cannot post the bond on behalf of the traveller—a compliance headache for HR teams moving talent on mixed-nationality project crews. For UAE-based mobility managers the priority is budgeting and communication. Companies are revising per-diem and cash-advance policies, building the bond into assignment costings and, in some cases, shifting meetings to Canada or Europe to avoid the surcharge. Legal consultants advise keeping evidence of strong UAE ties—property deeds, employment contracts and family residency visas—to convince consular officers to impose the lowest bond level or waive it entirely. The pilot is authorised until 5 August 2026, but given Washington’s claim of a 97 % compliance rate, most observers expect the scheme either to be extended or made permanent. UAE-based travellers from affected countries should therefore assume the bond will remain a fixture of the US visa landscape for the foreseeable future.
VisaHQ’s UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) can streamline this process by clarifying which nationalities are subject to the bond, providing up-to-date fee calculators and appointment-scheduling tools, and offering concierge assistance for companies that need to coordinate multiple applications at once.
Why does this matter in the UAE? Nearly 60 % of the country’s expatriate population comes from bond-listed states such as Bangladesh, Nigeria, Nepal and—newly—Ethiopia. Residents holding those passports who apply for a US tourist or business visa in Dubai or Abu Dhabi now have to budget an extra AED 18,000–55,000 on top of the standard US $185 application fee. Immigration advisers warn the out-of-pocket cash could equal two to three months’ salary for many mid-level staff, effectively pricing some out of short-term US assignments. The bond must be paid online through the US Treasury’s Pay.gov portal within a strict ten-day window after the visa interview. Travellers must also enter and exit the United States via commercial airports so that US Customs and Border Protection can record compliance and trigger the refund. Overstays forfeit the entire amount, and employers cannot post the bond on behalf of the traveller—a compliance headache for HR teams moving talent on mixed-nationality project crews. For UAE-based mobility managers the priority is budgeting and communication. Companies are revising per-diem and cash-advance policies, building the bond into assignment costings and, in some cases, shifting meetings to Canada or Europe to avoid the surcharge. Legal consultants advise keeping evidence of strong UAE ties—property deeds, employment contracts and family residency visas—to convince consular officers to impose the lowest bond level or waive it entirely. The pilot is authorised until 5 August 2026, but given Washington’s claim of a 97 % compliance rate, most observers expect the scheme either to be extended or made permanent. UAE-based travellers from affected countries should therefore assume the bond will remain a fixture of the US visa landscape for the foreseeable future.
