A picture taken October 2, 2019 shows an unidentified Chinese Uighur man in the city of Medinah holding his expired Chinese passport (red) and a one-way travel document (blue) issued in its place by the Chinese mission in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by – / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
How much is a visit to America worth to you?
Well, it depends on who you are and where you are traveling from.
On August 20, 2025, the US State Department launched a one-year Visa Bond Pilot Program, requiring certain applicants for B-1/B-2 visitor visas to post a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. While the bond is refundable, the goal is to assess and observe the effectiveness in deterring overstays.
Beginning October 1, 2025, a recently enacted domestic policy, which calls for a “visa integrity fee,” is expected to increase the cost of entering the US for most non-immigrant visas. The price tag of $250 will affect…


