Trump Administration Expands Travel Ban

Quick Hits

• On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation restricting the entry of foreign nationals from select countries, effective January 1, 2026, citing national security and public safety concerns.
• The proclamation affects nationals of newly designated countries who are outside the United States on January 1, 2026, and do not possess a valid visa, although it does not prohibit the issuance of new visa stamps.
• Exceptions to the proclamation include U.S. permanent residents, dual nationals traveling on nondesignated country passports, certain nonimmigrant visa holders, athletes for major sporting events, and individuals whose travel serves a U.S. national interest.

Foreign Nationals Affected

Nationals of the newly designated countries will be impacted if they are outside the United States on January 1, 2026, and do not possess a valid visa.

Although the proclamation does not prohibit the issuance of new visa stamps to foreign nationals from the designated countries, consulates may decline to issue new visa stamps in light of the proclamation.

Designated Countries

The below chart summarizes the countries that continue to be affected by the travel ban and the newly added countries.

Full Travel Ban

Partial Travel Ban

Suspends entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants for nationals of the following additional countries: Burkina Faso Laos Mali Niger Sierra Leone South Sudan Syria Suspends entry limitations on individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. Continues to suspend entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants for nationals of the following countries: Afghanistan Burma (Myanmar) Chad Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan Yemen

Suspends entry of immigrants and certain nonimmigrants (B-1, B-2, F, M, and J) for nationals of the following countries: Angola Antigua and Barbuda Benin Burundi Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Cuba Dominica Gabon The Gambia Malawi Mauritania Nigeria Senegal Tanzania Togo Tonga Venezuela Zambia Zimbabwe

The proclamation lifts the previous ban on nonimmigrant visas for nationals of Turkmenistan but maintains the suspension on immigrant visas.

Exceptions

The following individuals are not impacted by the proclamation:

• U.S. permanent residents
• Dual nationals of a designated country when traveling on a non-designated country passport
• Individuals entering with certain nonimmigrant visas including A-1/A-2; C-2/C-3; G-1/G-2/G-3/G-4; or NATO-1/NATO-2/NATO-3/NATO-4/NATO-5/NATO-6
• Athletes traveling for the World Cup, the Olympics, or other major sporting event, as determined by the secretary of state. (This includes coaches, necessary supporting roles, and immediate relatives.)
• Special Immigrant Visas for U.S. government employees, and immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran
• Exceptions determined by the attorney general, in coordination with the secretary of state and the secretary of homeland security for foreign nationals whose travel is determined to advance a critical U.S. national interest involving the U.S. Department of Justice
• Foreign nationals whose travel is to serve a U.S. national interest, as determined by the secretary of state, in coordination with the secretary of homeland security

Analysis and Impact

Employers may want to consider the following:

International Travel

• Foreign nationals from newly designated countries who are currently outside the United States should consider returning before the entry restrictions take effect on January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. ET.
• Nationals of countries under full suspension are broadly barred from receiving new visas, and departing the United States after the January 1, 2026, effective date may result in the inability to return.
• Nationals of partially restricted countries may face denials for specific visa categories, including B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas.
• Employment-based visa applicants from partially restricted countries may still receive new visas; however, the validity of the visa may be restricted, and applicants may face protracted screening procedures.
• Employment-based green card applicants undergoing consular processing are expected to face suspensions in immigrant visa issuance.

Immigration Processing for Impacted Nationals Currently in the United States

The proclamation is not expected to restrict change or extension of status applications filed with USCIS or revoke existing visas or work authorization status for foreign nationals currently in the United States.

Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group will closely monitor developments with respect to the pending litigation and other policy changes and will provide updates on the Immigration blog as additional information becomes available.

This article and more information on how the Trump administration’s actions impact employers can be found on Ogletree Deakins’ Administration Resource Hub.

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