US Announces 5 Conditions Under Which Government Will Cancel Visa Bond and Refund Money
- The US Department of Homeland Security outlined the specific conditions under which a visa bond will be cancelled and the money returned to the bond poster
- The bond terms are set on DHS's Form I-352 Immigration Bonds and on the Travel.State.Gov website
- Travellers subject to the visa bond requirement must comply with all visa terms to qualify for an automatic refund under any of the listed conditions
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The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has outlined five specific conditions under which a visa bond will be automatically cancelled and the posted money returned to the bond poster.
The bond terms are set out on DHS's Form I-352 Immigration Bonds and on Travel.State.Gov, with the Arrival and Departure Information System (ADIS) serving as the primary tool used to verify whether a visa holder has complied with the conditions of their stay.
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When DHS will cancel a visa bond
The first condition for cancellation is if the visa expires and the holder never travelled to the United States at all, as recorded by ADIS.
The second condition applies when the visa expires while the holder is no longer in the United States, having departed through a commercial air port of entry or exit, and having fully complied with all visa terms, as confirmed by ADIS.
Third, if the visa expired during a lawful stay and the holder later departed on time through a commercial air port of entry or exit while complying with all visa terms, the bond will also be cancelled.
The fourth condition covers situations where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deems a visa holder inadmissible at a port of entry and cancels the visa. In such a case, ADIS will capture the outcome and the bond will be discharged.
The fifth and final condition applies to visa holders who have been granted an extension of stay or a change of status. If the individual departs the United States on time, before the approved extended date, through a commercial air port of entry or exit, and meets all relevant visa terms, the bond will be cancelled and the funds returned.
Compliance is central to any refund
Across nearly all five conditions, full compliance with visa terms is a deciding factor. Departure must occur through a commercial air port of entry or exit in most cases, and ADIS tracking must confirm the outcome for the bond to be discharged automatically.
Visa holders who overstay, depart through unofficial channels, or violate any terms of their visa are not covered by these automatic cancellation provisions.
Visa Bond terms are set on the bond form (DHS’s Form I-352 Immigration Bonds) and on Travel.State.Gov. The bond will be canceled and the money returned automatically in following situations:
- Upon expiration of the visa, if the visa holder did not travel to the United States, as captured by the DHS’s Arrival and Departure Information System (ADIS);
- Upon expiration of the visa, if the visa holder is not in the United States as captured by ADIS, departed through a commercial air port of entry/exit, and complied with all terms of the visa;
- Following the timely departure from the United States of a visa holder through a commercial air port of entry/exit, if the visa expired during the lawful stay, as captured by ADIS, and the visa holder complied with all terms of the visa;
- Following CBP deeming the visa holder inadmissible and cancellation of the visa by CBP at the port of entry, as captured by ADIS; or
- Following timely departure from the United States through a commercial air port of entry/exit, before the extended date (if any) to which he or she is authorized to remain in the United States pursuant to an approved request for extension of stay or change of status, as captured by ADIS, and the visa holder complied with all terms of the visa and any other relevant nonimmigrant classifications obtained.
10 West African countries whose citizens must pay $20,000 visa bond
Legit.ng earlier reported that The United States Department of State has released a list of 10 West African countries whose citizens could be required to pay a visa bond of up to $20,000 before being granted entry into the US.
Source: Legit.ng
