This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh is an active member.
On December 16, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation expanding travel restrictions announced in 2025. The new proclamation applies to individuals who are outside of the United States as of January 1, 2026, and do not have a valid visa. Below are highlights.
Full Ban
Added to the original list of countries named in the earlier ban (Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen) are the new countries under the “full” ban (Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria) and individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed travel documents.
Partial Restrictions
The proclamation also continues “partial” restrictions for immigrants (green card applicants) and nonimmigrants (temporary visa applicants) in the visitor/tourist category (B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2), student categories (F and M), and exchange visitor category (J) for several countries: Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuela and Turkmenistan (nonimmigrant Turkmenistan nationals on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas no longer face any travel restrictions, but entry to the United States of Turkmenistan nationals as immigrants remains suspended).
New countries with “partial” restrictions (suspension of entry into the United States of immigrants and nonimmigrants in the B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J classifications) include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Both Full and Partial
Countries on both the “full” and “partial” suspension lists will be periodically reviewed every 180 days under the terms of the Proclamation to determine if any of the suspensions or limitations imposed should be continued, terminated, modified or supplemented. Employers sponsoring individuals from these countries, and visa applicants from these countries, should closely monitor changes in federal immigration policy that may allow for future changes to their U.S. visa and entry eligibility.
Exceptions
Significant exceptions to these travel restrictions include:
- Lawful permanent residents of the United States (existing green card holders);
- Existing nonimmigrant (temporary) visa holders;
- Dual nationals of a designated country traveling on a passport of a non-designated country (for example, a dual national of the United Kingdom and Chad may be able to travel using their UK passport);
- Diplomats holding A/G/NATO visas;
- Athletes or members of an athletic team (including coaches and immediate relatives) traveling for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting events designated by the Secretary of State;
- Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders (no longer including Afghan SIV holders);
- Ethnic and religious minorities in Iran;
- Individuals granted asylum;
- Individuals whose entry is determined to be in the national interest involving the Department of Justice as determined by the Attorney General;
- Individuals whose entry serves the U.S. national interest as determined by the Secretary of State; and
- Individuals whose entry is determined to be in the national interest involving the Secretary of Homeland Security.
As noted above, the proclamation no longer includes exceptions for Afghans who qualify for the SIV program. Additionally, the proclamation removes exceptions previously in the June travel ban for individuals with family-based immigrant visas and adoption visas. National Interest Exceptions may also be possible, although the Department of State has not released an implementation policy.
Practitioners advise those affected by this proclamation who are presently outside of the United States to consider making plans to return immediately. See also the related White House fact sheet.
