# US travel industry warns $20,000 visa bond expansion could hurt tourism 2026-08-13T06:49:57+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The US State Department has made permanent a visa bond programme that was introduced as a pilot in August 2025. Under the scheme, consular officers can require tourist and business visa applicants from 50 designated countries to post refundable bonds of up to $20,000. The bond is forfeited if a traveler overstays or violates visa conditions. The US Travel Association warns the programme could be expanded beyond the 50 countries, which would discourage international visitors and hurt the economy. The Trump administration says visa issuances from pilot countries fell 83% and overstays dropped from 45,488 to fewer than 50. However, overall US tourism is already down: Canadian travel fell 25%, Asian travel is half of 2019 levels, and overseas arrivals dropped 4.3% year-to-date through June. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com - livemint.com Tags: international travel, tourism, travel industry, Trump administration, US visa bond, visa overstays Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/us-makes-visa-bond-permanent-warns-wider-rollout-may-hit-tourism/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/us-makes-visa-bond-permanent-warns-wider-rollout-may-hit-tourism/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.