US Imposes $15,000 Visa Bond on Cambodians

Phnom Penh – Cambodians planning to visit the United States will soon face a costly new hurdle: a visa bond of up to $15,000. The measure, announced by the US Department of State on Wednesday, extends the bond programme to 12 additional countries, including Cambodia, and takes effect on 2 April.

Applicants for B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas will be required to post bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 before entry is granted. The exact amount will be determined during the visa interview. Paying the bond does not guarantee approval, though it is refundable if the application is denied, if the traveller does not enter the US, or if visa conditions are fully respected.

The expansion brings the total number of countries subject to the bond requirement to 50, most of them low-income or non-Western nations. Alongside Cambodia, the new list includes Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia.

US officials argue the policy is effective, citing figures that 97 percent of visa holders under the bond system have departed on time. “The visa bond programme has already proven effective at drastically reducing the number of visa recipients who overstay their visas,” the State Department said.

The move is part of a wider tightening of immigration rules since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. His administration has suspended immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, capped refugee admissions, paused most asylum claims, and carried out mass deportations, claiming 675,000 removals in January alone.

For Cambodia, the new requirement is likely to affect both business and leisure travellers, raising concerns about accessibility and cost. Officials in Phnom Penh have yet to comment, but the measure underscores the growing challenges faced by Cambodians seeking to travel to the US.

-2025-03-20