WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica are the only two Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries named by the United States (US) whose citizens will now have to post a bond of up to US$15,000 when applying for a visa to enter the North American country.

The US State Department said that the measure comes into effect from January 21, this year, and the only other Caribbean country named is Cuba. The majority of the countries whose citizens would need to post the bond are from Africa.

“Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview,” the State Department said in a statement.

“The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352. Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov. This requirement applies regardless of place of application,” it added.

It said that the applicants should submit Form I-352 to post a bond only after a consular officer directs them to do so.

“Applicants will receive a direct link to pay through Pay.gov. They must not use any third-party website for posting the bond. The US Government is not responsible for any money paid outside of its systems,” the State Department said, adding that “a bond does not guarantee visa issuance”.

“If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, the fees will not be returned,” the State Department said, adding that “as a condition of the bond, all visa holders who have posted a visa bond must enter and exit the United States through the designated ports of entry”.

“Not doing this might lead to a denied entry or a departure that is not properly recorded,” it said, naming the port of entries as Boston Logan International Airport, John F Kennedy International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

The State Department said that in a case where the visa bond terms have been broken, the Department of Homeland Security will send these cases to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to determine if there was a breach.

“It includes, but is not limited to, these situations: The Department of Homeland Security records indicate that the visa holder departed from the United States after the date to which he or she is authorised to stay in the United States. The visa holder stays in the United States after the date to which he or she is authorised to do so and does not leave. The visa holder applies to adjust out of non-immigrant status, including claiming asylum.”

Last December, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica issued statements indicating that the United States had agreed to suspend its proclamation that would have prevented citizens from the two countries from entering the North American country from January 1 this year.

The leaders of the two countries had indicated that following discussions with US officials at the embassy in Barbados, as well as the State Department in Washington, an agreement had been reached to suspend the proclamation that had been announced on December 16 by President Donald Trump.

“I would like to thank the United States Government itself for understanding the situation and agreeing to set aside for the time being the proclamation…and so this is good news. The anxieties that we all would have should be set aside,” Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit had said, adding that Roseau was looking forward to continuing the good relations it has enjoyed with Washington in the past.

The Antigua and Barbuda Government said that a similar suspension had been afforded to its nationals.

“This applies to all visa categories, including B-1, B-2, J, and M visas,” said Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, adding that “for the avoidance of doubt, this includes tourist, business, student, and other valid United States-issued visas”.

“Second, there will be no revocation of any existing visas issued to nationals of Antigua and Barbuda prior to 31 December 2025,” he said in a statement.

He said with regard to new visa applications submitted after January 1, 2026, “these will be subject to new arrangements that are still to be worked out with several Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda”.