How Do Immigration Bonds with Collateral Work?

Immigrants from all over the globe make their way to the United States each day in hopes of a better quality of life. When immigrants arrive in the country, they are typically given a specific amount of time in which they are able to stay. They may be able to extend this time frame once their Visas expire, but their requests are not always permitted. This leads many immigrants who have established lives here within the country to overstay their Visas. Whether they decide to remain with family members or simply have little to return to in their home countries, it is a tough and risky decision to make. Sadly, those who opt to remain here without proper documentation are frequently arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Their only hope for returning home quickly when this happens is through immigration bonds with collateral.

An immigration bond is essentially the same as bail in the criminal justice system here in America. It applies to cases where immigrants are accused of being within the country illegally. These immigrants have the opportunity to hear their case heard before an Immigration Judge (IJ) in most cases; however, this process is not always a fast one. Depending on the number of cases in a particular area, immigrants who are detained by ICE can remain in their custody for anywhere from a few weeks to more than a year. To avoid keeping immigrants in their custody for this extended period of time, ICE often permits qualified immigrants to be released through an immigration bond. 

To qualify for an immigration bond, ICE must carefully evaluate a number of factors. Matters that the agency will address include criminal history, employment status, family ties, and how long they have been within the country. This provides them with some insight into how much of a risk it will be to them to allow the immigrant to leave their custody. Those who have no criminal history, have remained in the country for several years and have families here are more likely to comply with the rules and regulations set forth by the agency. This means that they are likely to receive a lower bond price than those who are viewed to have riskier behaviors or qualities. 

Once ICE determines this price, an immigration bond sponsor can then pay the amount of money required to get their loved one out of an ICE facility. Because the cost is typically high, many opt for immigration bonds with collateral to do so. Instead of paying the full amount of the bond at an ICE facility, the sponsor will visit an immigration bond service. Here, they can purchase what is known as a surety bond. The surety immigration bond, with collateral, only requires the sponsor to pay a small percentage of the total bond cost to get their loved one released from detainment. An immigration bond with collateral is not eligible for a refund, however, collateral will not be collected unless the immigrant fails to abide by the terms of their release.

Want to learn more about immigration bonds with collateral? Reach out to the experts at US Immigration Bonds today to discover how we can get your loved one home today.