US to issue single-entry 3 months visas for Bangladeshis
Diplomatic Correspondent :
The United States will issue single-entry, short-term visas to Bangladeshi nationals under a new “Visa Bond” pilot programme, the US Embassy in Dhaka said on Monday.
In a statement released on its Facebook post, the embassy said eligible Bangladeshi applicants will receive a single-entry non-immigrant visa valid for up to three months, subject to the payment of a refundable visa bond. The programme came into effect for Bangladesh on January 21.
Under the pilot programme, after a visa interview, a consular officer will inform eligible applicants about the bond requirement and provide payment instructions with a direct link to pay.gov.
Applicants must pay the bond within 30 days of visa approval. Once the bond is paid, a single-entry visa valid for a maximum of three months will be issued.
Visa holders must enter the United States through designated ports of entry. For Bangladeshi travelers, three airports have been specified: Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
Entering or exiting the US through any other route may be treated as a violation of the bond conditions and could complicate the refund process.
The embassy said the bond will be automatically canceled and the full amount refunded once the traveler returns to Bangladesh, provided all visa conditions are met.
These include not engaging in any form of employment in the United States and departing within the authorised period of stay.
Bangladesh was formally added to the US visa bond list on January 7, after the US State Department temporarily suspended certain immigration visas for citizens of Bangladesh and 74 other countries.
With Bangladesh’s inclusion, applicants may be required to deposit a visa bond of up to $15,000, depending on individual assessment.
According to US authorities, the primary objective of the pilot program is to discourage visa overstays – situations in which visitors remain in the country beyond their permitted duration.
Countries with relatively higher overstay rates have been selected for inclusion in the program.
Alongside Bangladesh, the visa bond list includes Algeria, Angola, Bhutan, Cuba, Djibouti, Fiji, Nigeria, Nepal, and Uganda, with implementation dates varying by country.
A visa bond is a refundable financial guarantee taken before issuing a temporary visa to ensure compliance with visa conditions, particularly the requirement to leave the country on time.
The United States issues thousands of non-immigrant visas every year to foreign students, tourists, and other temporary visitors, and officials say the pilot program is aimed at strengthening compliance without permanently restricting travel.
In the past, countries such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom experimented with similar visa bond systems to control overstays, though those initiatives were later withdrawn.