, Jan. 7 -- The United States has expanded a visa bond policy to include Bangladesh and 24 other countries, requiring citizens of these nations to post refundable bonds of up to $15,000 as part of their application for a U.S. visitor visa, according to the U.S. State Department website.

Under the updated programme, passport holders from the newly added countries could be asked to pay a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 at the time of their visa interview if they are otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 tourism or business visa.

Payment must be made through the U.S. Treasury's online platform, Pay.gov.

The list of affected countries now totals 38, mainly from South Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

In addition to Bangladesh, t...