On December 16, 2025, the Trump Administration issued another presidential proclamation, reaffirming and expanding the restriction of entry of foreign nationals from certain countries. This recent proclamation is an expansion and reaffirmation of an earlier presidential proclamation he issued on June 4, 2025.
Its justification for reaffirming and expanding the travel bans is, according to the Administration, based on foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism goals. In addition, the proclamation states that the Administration “considered various factors, including each country’s screening and vetting capabilities, information sharing policies, and country-specific risk factors — including whether each country has a significant terrorist presence within its territory, its visa-overstay rate, and its cooperation with accepting back its removable nationals.” The proclamation also directs U.S. authorities to engage with each of the countries listed in the travel ban to comply with U.S. screening, vetting, immigration, and security requirements.
The travel ban expansion will take effect on January 1, 2026, at 12:01 AM EST.
The initial travel ban was divided into a “full travel ban” and “partial travel ban”. The “full travel ban” suspended both nonimmigrant (temporary) and immigrant (permanent) entry of nationals, while the “partial travel ban” suspended immigrant entry as well as nonimmigrant entry for B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visa holders, and reduced the validity for other nonimmigrant visas for nationals.
The recent proclamation will implement a “full travel ban” to nationals from the following countries:
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- Burkina Faso
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Laos
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
- and individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority issued travel documents
Laos and Sierra Leone were initially subjected to the “partial travel ban”, but they are now subject to full restrictions and entry limitations.
The recent proclamation will also implement a “partial travel ban” to nationals from the following countries:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Burundi
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tonga
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Countries that are bolded are new additions to the travel ban from the recent proclamation.
It is worth noting that the new proclamation lifts the ban on nonimmigrant visas for nationals from Turkmenistan but will continue to suspend the entry of immigrant visas for Turkmen nationals.
This expansion of the travel ban will apply to foreign nationals of the designated countries who are outside the United States on January 1, 2026, and do not have a valid immigrant or nonimmigrant visa as of that date.
It is also worth noting that there are exceptions to the travel ban. Specifically, this travel ban does not apply to the following individuals:
- Any lawful permanent resident (green card holder) of the United States;
- Dual nationals of a non-listed country, as long as the individual is traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country;
- Foreign nationals with the following valid nonimmigrant visas: A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO 2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6;
- Athletes and members of an athletic team, including coaches, individuals performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for a major sporting event, such as the World Cup and Olympics;
- Special Immigrant Visas for United States Government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D);
- Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran;
- Individuals granted asylum, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment (CAT); and
- Refugees already admitted to the United States.
There were a few other exceptions, which were listed in the earlier proclamation, that will not apply anymore on the effective implementation date. These exceptions are:
- Immediate family immigrant visas (IR-1/CR-1, IR-2/CR-2, IR-5) with “clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship (e.g., DNA)”;
- Adoptions (IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, IH-4); and
- Afghan Special Immigrant Visas.
The Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Homeland Security have the discretion to make case-by-case exceptions for certain individuals that would advance a critical United States national interest, such as individuals participating in criminal proceedings as witnesses.
Within 180 days of the date of this recent proclamation, and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence will submit a report to the President, assessing and recommending whether the travel ban should be continued, terminated, modified, or supplemented.
The immigration team of Nilan Johnson Lewis will continue to monitor developments and provide updates regarding the travel ban.