On December 16, 2025, President Trump executed a Presidential Proclamation expanding administration’s full and partial suspensions of immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance announced this past June to an additional twenty countries and the Palestinian Authority. With this expansion, there are now more than 35 countries subject to US travel restrictions. The new travel ban will be effective as of January 1, 2026.

The updated proclamation will increase the number of countries from which immigrant and nonimmigrant visas are fully suspended, prohibiting the entry of foreign nationals from twelve to nineteen countries, as well as those traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. The countries added to list now includes Syria, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously subject to partial restrictions, have been escalated to the full ban list as well as those traveling on Palestinian Authority. The list of seven countries subject to partial travel restrictions has been revised to include fifteen additional countries including: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe. For Turkmenistan, the proclamation stops only immigrant visas

The Proclamation provides several exceptions, including for lawful permanent residents, those who hold valid visas prior to January 1, 2026, specific visa categories such as diplomats and athletes, and individuals whose entry is deemed to be in the U.S. national interest. At the same time, it scales back broad family-based immigrant visa exceptions that have shown higher fraud risks, while still allowing waivers to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, the Proclamation requires ongoing review of the restrictions it puts in place. Within 180 days of its effective date, and every 180 days after that, the Secretary of State, working with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, must submit a report to the President. This report will recommend whether the visa suspensions and limitations should continue as they are, be ended, changed, or expanded. We will continue to monitor all developments and provide updates.