The “$5,000 Parent Visa”: What the US Visa Bond Actually Is

Is there a $5,000 parent visa?

No. The United States has no visa category called a parent visa. The $5,000 figure is the lowest bond amount of the visa bond pilot that began on August 20, 2025, which applies to B-1/B-2 visitors who hold a passport from a listed country, whether or not they are parents.

The State Department's temporary final rule created the pilot and let consular officers require a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 from B-1/B-2 applicants who were nationals of designated countries (Federal Register, August 5, 2025). A final rule effective August 3, 2026 made the program permanent instead of extending the pilot, and raised the amounts to $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 (Federal Register, August 3, 2026).

Whether your parents owe a bond depends on the passport they hold. It does not depend on their age, on their relationship to you or on where they apply. Your parents' ordinary route is the visitor visa described in the visitor visa for parents guide.

What is the B-1/B-2 visa bond?

A visa bond is money that a B-1/B-2 applicant posts, after a consular officer decides the applicant is otherwise eligible, to help ensure the visitor leaves the United States on time. The bond is refunded when the visitor complies with its terms, and posting it does not guarantee that a visa is issued.

• Who can be asked. Applicants for B-1/B-2 visas who are nationals of countries on the State Department's list. Visa Waiver Program countries are outside the program, and no other visa category is covered (Federal Register, August 3, 2026).
• When. Only after the consular officer directs the applicant to post it. The State Department's page says money paid without that direction is not returned (State Department, October 2, 2026 version).
• How. The officer gives the applicant a link to the Treasury Department's Visa Bond Program payment platform, and the applicant completes a Department of Homeland Security bond form. The rule names the form I-352B, while the State Department page still says I-352. Payment is electronic and in U.S. dollars (Federal Register, August 3, 2026).
• Who may pay. The applicant or another person, such as a friend or relative, in the home country or abroad. The person who pays is the one who is refunded, so the name on the bond form must match the payer's name (State Department, October 2, 2026 version). If you pay for your parents, you are that person.
• The visa itself. A visa issued with a bond is valid for three months single entry, three months multiple entry or up to 12 months multiple entry, depending on reciprocity, and carries an annotation showing that a bond was posted (Federal Register, August 3, 2026).
• Where the visitor arrives and leaves. Through a commercial airport, including a CBP Preclearance location. Land and sea ports of entry may not be used (Federal Register, August 3, 2026).

How much is a visa bond, and who sets the amount?

Since August 3, 2026 the consular officer sets the bond at $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000. The rule expects $15,000 unless the applicant could not pay it, which makes it $10,000, or unless the applicant's contacts in the United States suggest $15,000 would not be enough, which makes it $20,000.

The officer sets the amount after weighing the totality of the circumstances, including what the applicant says about the purpose of travel, current employment, income, skills and education, and, for a higher bond, the nature and extent of the applicant's contacts in the United States (Federal Register, August 3, 2026). The State Department's page showed the new amounts when it was last updated on October 2, 2026; an older copy of the same page, dated May 13, 2026, still showed the pilot amounts.

Which countries are on the visa bond list?

The State Department publishes the list at travel.state.gov and can add a country on 15 days' notice. Its page, last updated on October 2, 2026, names 50 countries, among them Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are not on it.

A country is added 15 days after the announcement and removed immediately (Federal Register, August 3, 2026). The table below is the Department's list as last updated on October 2, 2026, which we read on adoption.state.gov, a State Department site that serves the same pages, because travel.state.gov blocks automated readers. An Internet Archive copy of the May 13, 2026 version names the same 50 countries on the same dates. Check the live list before your parents book.

Do parents with an Indian passport have to post a visa bond?

No. India was not on the State Department's visa bond list when the Department last updated it, on October 2, 2026, and the August 3, 2026 final rule does not name India. The requirement follows the passport, not where the parent lives or applies, so a parent with an Indian passport is not covered unless India is added.

The State Department's page says the requirement applies regardless of the place of application (State Department, October 2, 2026 version). A parent who holds a Nepali or Bangladeshi passport and lives in India is covered when applying at an Indian consulate. Your parents' nationality decides, so read the passport, not the address. Because the list can change on 15 days' notice, check the live list before your parents book.

When is the bond refunded, and when is it forfeited?

The bond is canceled and refunded when the visa holder complies with its terms, for example by leaving through a commercial airport on or before the authorized date, never using the visa before it expires, or having the visa canceled by CBP at the port of entry. A substantial violation, such as staying past the authorized stay, forfeits it.

• Refund. The money returns to the person who posted it, to the original payment method and without interest. Card and exchange-rate costs are not refunded, and the Treasury Offset Program can apply the money to other federal or state debts.
• Forfeiture. Examples of a substantial violation are staying past the authorized period, filing an untimely request to extend the stay or change status, not leaving within 10 days after a timely request is denied, and filing an asylum or similar claim on Form I-589.
• Who decides. The Department of Homeland Security makes the final decision on a breach, and appeals follow its instructions.

The refund and forfeiture terms are from the Federal Register, August 3, 2026 final rule. How long a parent may stay is set by CBP at entry; see how long parents can stay on a visitor visa.

What does a visa bond change for a parent who wants to stay longer?

A timely request to extend the stay is not itself a violation of the bond, but USCIS may treat the bond as a negative factor in deciding it. An untimely request is a violation. Parents who hold a bond should plan to leave on or before the authorized date.

The rule treats a timely extension or change-of-status request as permitted, and it says USCIS may weigh the bond against the request (Federal Register, August 3, 2026). The ordinary extension process is in extending a parent's B-2 stay with Form I-539. What CBP asks at the airport, including for a visa that carries a bond annotation, is in what happens at the port of entry for parents on a B-2.

Related guides

• Visitor visa for parents: how to bring your parents to the USA covers which visa your parents need, the steps, the invitation letter and the stay.
• How long can parents stay on a visitor visa? explains how CBP sets the period and how to read the I-94.
• What happens at the port of entry lists what CBP asks and what parents should carry.

Changes to this page

• October 11, 2026. First published. The two Federal Register rules were read in full. The State Department's country page blocks automated readers: its October 2, 2026 text was read on adoption.state.gov, a State Department site that serves the same pages, and an Internet Archive copy of the May 13, 2026 version names the same 50 countries. Confirm the list on the live page before your parents book.

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