The Trump administration is weighing a proposal that would require Green Card applicants to post a $100,000 bond before receiving permanent residency in the United States.
On July 16, 2026, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott disclosed the measure in a statement to The Hill, the same day President Donald Trump delivered an Address to the Nation in which he highlighted his administration’s immigration record. The proposed bond — more than 60 times the current cost of applying for a Green Card from within the country — would apply to visa applicants deemed likely to become dependent on public assistance, and is part of a broader push by the administration to tighten the conditions under which foreign nationals can obtain permanent residency.
What the Administration Is Proposing and Why
Pigott framed the bond as a tool rooted in existing law, stating that the State Department is exploring “a long-standing legal authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require certain visa applicants — those who are otherwise ineligible for a visa because they are likely to become a public charge — to post a bond as a way to demonstrate they have access to the funds needed to support themselves.” He added that the effort is aimed at protecting “American public benefits programs from the financial burden of foreigners who arrive with major expensive medical or other needs.”
Separately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph B. Edlow announced that the agency is moving toward a policy that would bar visa holders who rely on government programs such as SNAP and WIC from becoming eligible for a Green Card. “Under President Trump, USCIS is restoring the basic principle that immigrants must be able to support themselves,” Edlow said.
The federal government “is reaffirming the requirement of self-reliance, protecting public resources and ending policies that encouraged dependency on the backs of hard-working American taxpayers.
“Under President Trump, USCIS is restoring the basic principle that immigrants…
— USCIS (@USCIS) July 16, 2026
How the Proposed Bond Compares to Current Costs and Other Programs
Under current USCIS guidelines, applicants adjusting status from within the United States pay a Form I-485 filing fee of $1,440 — or $1,390 when applying online. Those applying from abroad face a $325 DS-260 application fee, plus a $235 USCIS processing fee upon approval. A $100,000 bond would represent a cost increase of nearly 7,000 percent over the existing domestic filing fee. For context, the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 data, released in 2025, put the median annual household income for American citizens at $83,730 — meaning the proposed bond would exceed a typical household’s entire yearly earnings.
The measure draws comparisons to the Trump Gold Card, which replaced the EB-5 immigration investor visa program. That program charges individuals a non-refundable $15,000 fee to the Department of Homeland Security, followed by a $1 million payment upon approval; the corporate-level version requires $2 million. A separate but related effort — a proposed $100,000 fee attached to H-1B visa applications — was struck down by a federal judge in June 2026, according to CNN.
The $100,000 Green Card bond remains under consideration as a developing policy, with no final decision announced, leaving the immigration and business communities watching closely for the administration’s next move.
