On December 16, 2025, the White House issued a Proclamation limiting entry to the United States for nationals of certain countries as a follow up to Proclamation 10949 of June 4, 2025.
This Proclamation clarifies limits to entry for immigrants (those seeking entry to the United States to become permanent residents) and nonimmigrants (those seeking entry to the United States for a temporary stay) citing authority under 212(f) and 215(a) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code.
Nationals from the following countries are completely suspended from entering the United States under all immigrant and non-immigrant visa categories:
- Afghanistan
- Burkina Faso*
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Laos*
- Libya
- Mali*
- Niger*
- Sierra Leon*
- Somalia
- South Sudan*
- Sudan
- Syria*
- Yemen
- Palestinian Authority Documents* (Those traveling on documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority)
Nationals from the following countries face partial restrictions, including suspensions on immigrant and non-immigrant B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas (other non-immigrant visas will have a reduced validity):
- Angola *
- Antigua and Barbuda *
- Benin *
- Burundi
- Cote d’Ivoire *
- Cuba
- Dominica *
- Gabon *
- The Gambia *
- Malawi *
- Mauritania *
- Nigeria *
- Senegal *
- Tanzania *
- Togo
- Tonga *
- Turkmenistan (suspension of immigrant visas only)
- Venezuela
- Zambia *
- Zimbabwe *
*Newly added countries not previously listed on the White House Proclamation from June 9, 2025.
When does the Proclamation take effect?
January 1, 2026 (12:01 am Eastern Standard Time).
Who is impacted?
Anyone outside of the United States on the effective date and who does not have a valid visa on the effective date.
Are there any exceptions?
- Permanent Residents
- Dual nationals travelling on a passport issued by a country that is not designated
- 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 or athletic team members – including coaches, supporting staff, immediate relatives - traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State
- Special Immigrant visas for US government employees
- Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran
- At the discretion of the Attorney General, Secretary of State, or Secretary of Homeland Security on a case-by-case basis
Will more countries be added or removed from these lists?
It is possible. The Proclamation will be reviewed in 180 days, and every 180 days thereafter.
Additional considerations:
No immigrant or nonimmigrant visa issued before January 1, 2026 (12:01 am Eastern Standard Time) shall be revoked.
Those granted asylum or refugee status who have already been admitted to the US are not impacted by this Proclamation. Moreover, it does not limit the ability to seek asylum, refugee status, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture.
What should also be considered is that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum on December 2, 2025, pausing the adjudication of immigration benefits for those individuals who were born in or are citizens of the original list of travel ban countries. (See our news update of December 4, 2025). We will continue to monitor as to whether the conditions of the same pause will apply to individuals born in or are citizens of the additional countries.
Also, given the fluidity of the current immigration announcements, we do caution people about international travel.
The above information has been provided for educational purposes, and we invite you to contact your Clark Lau LLC attorney to determine how this applies to you. We will continue to monitor the news for updates.