Kathmandu, Aug. 3 -- Eva Bhattarai (name changed on request) had hoped to travel to the United States for one simple reason: To attend her daughter's graduation in 2027. However, a new US State Department rule requiring some B1/B2 visa applicants to deposit a refundable bond of up to $20,000 before traveling has left that wish out of reach.

"No matter how much I want to go, I cannot set aside that much money," Bhattarai, a resident of Baneshwar, Kathmandu, says.

She is among many Nepalis reassessing their travel plans after the US Department of State announced that its visa bond programme, first introduced as a 12 month pilot in August 2025, would become permanent from Monday.

Under the programme, consular officers may require selected...