# US pilot programme may require visa applicants to post bonds up to $250,000 2026-08-05T23:12:38+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk A pilot scheme now requiring some immigrant-visa applicants from the Dominican Republic to post a one-off bond has quietly begun rolling out under the US Department of Homeland Security, the Washington Beacon reported in an account picked up by Hindustan Times. Consular posts across the Caribbean are handling the programme, aimed at applicants who failed a public-charge screening and had no way to post a bond through US Citizenship and Immigration Services, officials are said to be weighing figures of either $100,000 or $250,000. A State Department official pointed to existing powers under the Immigration and Nationality Act as the legal basis, framing the goal as shielding public-benefit programmes from the expense of immigrants who might later need major medical or other assistance. A separate, already-finalised initiative covers applicants from 50 mostly African countries, setting B1/B2 bonds as high as $20,000. ## Indian Opinion Analysis What is actually rolling out here is far narrower than a universal bond mandate for every immigrant, applying for now only to Dominican applicants who flunked a public-charge screen. That said, a six-figure sum, whether it lands at $100,000 or $250,000, would price out most people regardless of how strong their case is, and the Washington Beacon's account, which is where most of this comes from, offers little on how officials will actually pick a number. Whether the programme spreads past the Dominican Republic, and which of those two dollar figures consulates settle on, are the specifics the Beacon's reporting leaves open. ## Coverage - www.hindustantimes.com Tags: Department of Homeland Security, Dominican Republic Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/us-kicking-off-pilot-program-to-charge-immigrants-up-to-250000-bond-for-visa-report/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/us-kicking-off-pilot-program-to-charge-immigrants-up-to-250000-bond-for-visa-report/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.