Trump administration weighs $100,000 bond for green-card applicants

The Trump administration is considering a proposal to require some green-card seekers to post a refundable bond of up to $100,000 when applying at U.S. consulates abroad, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The State Department initiative aims to limit the immigration of lower-income foreigners by ensuring that incoming permanent residents are financially self-sufficient. Under the proposed plan, applicants—or their U.S. relatives—would pay the hefty bond, which would serve as collateral. The funds would be refunded only after the immigrant obtains U.S. citizenship, a process requiring at least five years of residency.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed that officials are exploring existing authorities under the Immigration and Nationality Act to require certain visa applicants to post bonds "as a way to demonstrate they have access to the funds needed to support themselves."

While the administration considers piloting the policy in a small number of countries first, the steep financial requirement is expected to act as a major deterrent for family-sponsored immigrants, who make up the bulk of the roughly 500,000 immigrant visas issued annually.

Advocates have swiftly criticised the plan. Sharvari Dalal-Dheini of the American Immigration Lawyers Association warned that the proposal would turn the American legal immigration system into a "pay-to-play" model accessible only to the wealthy.

The proposal expands on an existing tourist visa pilot program introduced last August, which required visitors from select African nations to post bonds of up to $15,000 to deter visa overstays. The proposed $100,000 policy represents a significant escalation, aligning with long-standing administration efforts led by adviser Stephen Miller to restrict low-income immigration. This follows a separate policy enacted in January that paused immigrant-visa processing for 75 populous nations, including Pakistan, Nigeria, and Brazil.

By Tamilla Hasanova