Travel Ban Expanded to 39 Countries

On December 16, 2025, a new presidential proclamation replaced and greatly expanded the June 2025 travel ban. Effective January 1, 2026, it suspends or limits entry for nationals of 39 countries, plus people traveling on travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.

Nineteen countries face a full suspension of both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Twenty more face partial restrictions, generally suspending immigrant visas and B-1, B-2, F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas.

People already lawfully inside the United States are generally not removed by the proclamation itself. The danger is travel: if you hold a passport from a listed country, leaving the US could mean you cannot get back in, even with a valid visa. Do not travel internationally without talking to an immigration attorney first — this includes trips you have taken safely before.

The proclamation states that it does not limit a person's ability to seek asylum, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture. Separate USCIS processing holds tied to this list were struck down by a federal court in June 2026.