Travel Ban Expansion Taking Effect on January 1, 2026

The Trump administration has announced an expansion of the June Travel Ban with the expansion taking effect on January 1, 2026.

The expanded list of 19 countries (up from 12 previously) whose nationals are subject to full restrictions are below, with the newly added countries in BOLD.  Under full restriction, all immigrant (permanent residency) visa and nonimmigrant visa issuance will be suspended.  Additionally, those traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents are subject to full restrictions. The 19 countries subject to full restrictions are:

1. Afghanistan
2. Burkina Faso
3. Burma
4. Chad
5. Republic of Congo
6. Equatorial Guinea
7. Eritrea
8. Haiti
9. Iran
10. Laos (previously on the partial restriction list)
11. Libya
12. Mali
13. Niger
14. Sierra Leone (previously on the partial restriction list)
15. Somalia
16. Sudan
17. South Sudan
18. Syria
19. Yemen

For nationals of another 19 countries (up from 7 previously), they are subject to partial restrictions. Under partial restriction, only immigrant (permanent residency) visas and B, F, M and J nonimmigrant visa will be impacted (e.g., H, L, O visas may still be processed). The 19 countries affected by partial restrictions are:

1. Angola
2. Antigua and Barbuda
3. Benin
4. Burundi (on the original partial restriction list)
5. Cote d’Ivoire
6. Cuba (on the original partial restriction list)
7. Dominica
8. Gabon
9. The Gambia
10. Malawi
11. Mauritania
12. Nigeria
13. Senegal
14. Tanzania
15. Togo (on the original partial restriction list)
16. Tonga
17. Venezuela (on the original partial restriction list)
18. Zambia
19. Zimbabwe

Nationals of the countries subject to the restriction are exempt if they meet an exception. The main exceptions include:

1. Those who are in the U.S. on Jan. 1, 2026,
2. Those who have a valid visa issued before Jan. 1, 2026,
3. U.S. permanent residents (green card holders), or those who have been granted asylum or refugee status,
4. Dual nationals that are traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated/impacted country, and
5. Those whose travel is deemed to serve the U.S. national interest (this exception will be granted very rarely).

In light of the visa processing suspension, those who are not subject to the current June travel ban should return to the U.S. prior to January 1, 2026.  Furthermore, nationals of and those born in countries that are impacted should be aware that processing of their immigration benefit applications pending with USCIS may be paused as well.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your ILG attorney or reach our firm at .