On December 16, 2025, the Trump Administration issued a proclamation titled Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States. According to a Fact Sheet accompanying the December 2025 proclamation, the following additional countries are now subject to a full travel ban:
Additionally, the following 15 countries are now subject to a partial travel ban (as B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, or J Non-Immigrant):
The new, December 2025 proclamation is an expansion of the previous travel ban announced on June 4, 2025, which subjected citizens of the following countries to various degrees of travel restrictions:
Full Ban:
Partial Ban (as B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, or J Non-Immigrant):
Due to having demonstrated progress since the June 2025 proclamation was announced, Turkmenistan has had its previous partial travel ban lifted.
Similar to the June 2025 proclamation, the December 2025 proclamation does not apply to the following individuals:
Notably, unlike the June 2025 proclamation, the December 2025 proclamation does not provide a broad exception to individuals from travel ban countries who qualify as immediate relatives. According to the proclamation, risks associated with vetting individuals subject to the travel ban will now apply with equal force to family-based visa applications as they do to non-immigrant visa applications. Waivers for family-based visa applicants will be granted only on a case-by-case basis.
The Trump Administration justified the expanded travel ban based on the U.S.’s lack of sufficient information regarding the risks that citizens of these countries pose to U.S. national security and public safety. The Administration has also cited widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and other in-country conditions as reasons for subjecting countries to the ban.
Individuals with pending non-immigrant or family-based immigrant petitions from the now 38 affected countries should expect extreme wait times and backlogs for the foreseeable future. Citizens of the 17 countries subject to a full travel ban are advised to not attempt entry into the U.S. until the travel bans are lifted.
Additional Assistance
For more information, please contact a member of our Immigration Practice Team or the Phillips Lytle attorney with whom you have a relationship.
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