On December 16, 2025, a Presidential Proclamation was issued expanding travel restrictions for certain individuals from 20 countries. These restrictions build upon the travel bans announced in June 2025 for certain individuals from 19 countries. The 39 countries combined represent approximately 20% of the countries worldwide. The Proclamation requires that the restrictions be reviewed and potentially modified at least every six months.
Who is Affected by the New Travel Ban?
The new travel ban affects certain individuals from countries outlined below who meet the following two criteria:
- They are physically outside of the United States on or after January 1, 2026 at 12:01amEST; AND
- They do not have a valid visa as of January 1, 2026 at 12:01am EST.
Individuals who hold a valid visa issued before January 1, 2026 at 12:01amEST are not, under the plain language of the Proclamation, immediately subject to the new restrictions. However, due to the discretionary and evolving nature of enforcement, individuals from countries subject to even a partial ban may still face heightened scrutiny and travel disruption.
The Proclamation does not revoke visas issued prior to January 1, 2026. Any visa issued before that date remains valid unless it is separately revoked on individual-specific grounds unrelated to the Proclamation.
Individuals physically present in the United States are not immediately affected. However, individuals from the countries outlined below may be subject to the suspension of adjudications of all benefit requests by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which was announced on November 27th. Additional information about the hold on adjudications is available in the Masuda Funai December 2025 Business Immigration Monthly.
Countries Subject to a Partial Travel Ban
Nationals of the following countries will face restrictions on the issuance of B-1, B-2, F, M, and J Visas.
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Burundi
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tonga
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Special Note: Turkmenistan has been removed from the nonimmigrant visa ban list but remains subject to an immigrant visa ban.
The Proclamation allows for rare, discretionary national interest exceptions, which require a showing that visa issuance serves the national interest of the United States. These exceptions will be extremely rare and there is currently no formal application process. No agency guidance has been issued by the Attorney General, Secretary of State, or Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which are the agencies that may grant the national interest exceptions.
Countries Subject to a Full Travel Ban
Nationals of the following countries are barred, as of January 1, 2026, from entering the United States using ANY nonimmigrant or immigrant Visa:
- Afghanistan
- Burkina Faso
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Chad
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Laos
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Palestinian Authority Issued or Endorsed Travel Documents
- Republic of Congo
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
Nationals of these countries will not be issued new nonimmigrant or immigrant visas and will not be permitted entry to the United States even with previously issued visas.
TRAVEL AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
- Affected individuals who are from a full travel ban country and are currently present in the United States should not travel internationally.
- Affected individuals who are from a partial travel ban country and are currently present in the United States should not travel internationally if they will require a newly issued visa to return to the United States.
- Valid Forms I-20 and DS-2019 do not override the travel ban and will not permit F Students, M Students and J Exchange Visitors to enter the United States if they are from one of the partial travel ban countries unless they also have valid F, M or J visas issued before January 1, 2026.
- F Students, M Students and J Exchange Visitors who are from a partial travel ban country and who have valid F, M or J visas issued before January 1, 2026 may want to carry a copy of the Proclamation to confirm for airline representatives or Custom and Border Protection (CBP) officers that they are not subject to the travel ban when re-entering the United States
- F Students, M Students and J Exchange Visitors already in the United States are free to continue in their programs.
- Individuals from all travel ban countries (and their employers, if applicable) should anticipate a delay in the adjudication of their benefit requests and should file benefit requests as early as possible.
Who is Exempt from the Travel Ban?
- U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders)
- Dual Nationals Traveling on a Passport from a Non-Listed Country
- Certain Athletes and Related Personnel for Major International Sporting Events, such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics
- Certain Diplomatic and International Organization Visa Holders
- Individuals already Granted Asylum or Admitted as Refugees
- Certain Special Immigrant Visa Holders and Limited Humanitarian Categories
Masuda Funai is a full-service law firm with offices in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Schaumburg.
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