The U.S. Department of State made the bail program for tourist and business visas a permanent immigration policy this Saturday, raising the maximum deposit to $20,000 and keeping Cuba among the 50 affected countries, according to an AP report.
The regulation will be officially published on Monday in the Federal Register - the official diary of the U.S. government - the date on which it will formally take effect, and from which time Cuban citizens and citizens of designated countries applying for a B1 or B2 visa may be required to post a bond before receiving the visa.
From pilot to permanent policy
The program was established on August 20, 2025, as a 12-month pilot plan, initiated by Donald Trump through Executive Order 14159, and initially covered only 13 countries with high overstay rates.
Cuba was added to the list in January 2026, along with Venezuela and other countries from the Caribbean, Asia, and Latin America, when the program expanded from 13 to 38 countries.
In April of that same year, a new expansion added 12 more nations—among them Nicaragua, Georgia, Ethiopia, and Cambodia—bringing the total to the current fifty.
The draft published in the Federal Register indicates that a review lasting nearly a year "provided sufficient data" to suggest that the program "effectively ensures compliance with the conditions of the visas," which is why it will become permanent.
Three levels of bail and key restrictions
The permanent regulation eliminates the minimum option of $5,000 that was included in the pilot program, and establishes three deposit levels at the discretion of the consular officer: $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000.
The notice from the Federal Registry states that “the consular officers may require non-immigrant visa applicants to deposit a bond of up to 20,000 dollars as a condition for the issuance of the visa, as determined by the consular officers themselves.”
The payment must be made exclusively through Pay.gov, the platform of the Department of the Treasury; the use of third-party sites is prohibited.
A critical point that the regulation clearly states: the deposit of the bond does not guarantee the issuance of the visa.
In addition, visa holders with a bond will only be able to enter and exit the United States through commercial airports; private air, land, or sea ports are prohibited.
The deposit will be refunded if the visa is denied, if the applicant does not travel before the visa expires, or if the holder meets all conditions and leaves the country within the authorized timeframe.
The numbers that justified the measure
In 2024, nearly 45,500 visitors from the 50 countries included in the program overstayed their visas, according to data from the State Department cited by the Associated Press.
In the first ten months of the pilot program, that figure fell to fewer than 50 cases.
However, the most noticeable effect was another: nearly half of the 20,000 applications that required a deposit did not complete the payment, resulting in a decrease of 83% in the issuance of B1/B2 visas for the affected countries, with a total deposited of 115 million dollars during the pilot.
The State Department acknowledged the deterrent impact: “The department hopes that this final rule will contribute to the ongoing reduction in the demand for B1/B2 visa applications by citizens of countries affected by the program.”
One more barrier for Cubans
For the citizens of the island, this measure adds to a series of restrictions accumulated since 2025.
In June of that year, Trump signed a proclamation that suspended the entry of Cubans holding B-1, B-2, F, M, and J visas. In December 2025, he expanded the so-called "travel ban" by adding 20 more countries.
The Trump administration is also considering requiring a bond of $100,000 from certain applicants for permanent residency processed from abroad, a measure still under evaluation. For many Cubans who already face economic and bureaucratic obstacles to legally emigrate, coming up with up to $20,000 without any guarantee of obtaining the visa represents a virtually insurmountable barrier.
The 50 affected countries: Mostly African and some Latin American
Africa (30 countries)
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burundi
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Ivory Coast
Djibouti
Ethiopia
Gabón
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Lesotho
Malawi
Mauritania
Mauricio
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Asia and Central Asia (9 countries)
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Cambodia
Georgia
Kyrgyz Republic
Mongolia
Nepal
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Latin America and the Caribbean (6 countries)
Antigua and Barbuda
Cuba
Dominica
Granada
Nicaragua
Venezuela
Oceania and the Pacific (5 countries)
Fiyi
Papua New Guinea
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
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