The U.S. State Department has announced a year-long pilot that will require certain tourist and business visa applicants to post security bonds of between $5,000 and $15,000. The measure, published in the Federal Register on Monday, gives consular officers discretion to set the amount and is intended to deter visitors from remaining in the country after their visas expire. The programme starts on 20 August and initially covers nationals of Zambia and Malawi applying for B-1 or B-2 visas. A State Department spokesperson said the list could expand to other countries with high overstay rates, inadequate screening or other security concerns. Roughly 2,000 applicants are expected to be subject to the bond during the 12-month trial. Travellers who comply with the terms of their visas will have the bond refunded. Those required to post a bond must enter and depart the United States through one of three airports—Boston Logan, New York’s John F. Kennedy and Washington Dulles—according to the notice. The bond scheme is the latest in a series of steps by the Trump administration to tighten immigration controls. Congress has already approved a separate $250 “visa integrity” fee that takes effect in 2026, and the administration has expanded travel bans and increased other visa costs in recent months.