The U.S. immigration travel ban that took effect January 1, 2026 restricts or blocks entry for nationals of 39 countries and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents. Nineteen countries face a full suspension of both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. Twenty more face a partial suspension that blocks visitor, student, and exchange visas while leaving some work categories open. The rules come from Presidential Proclamation 10998, signed December 16, 2025.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
Countries Under a Full Visa Suspension
Nationals of these 19 countries cannot obtain any standard immigrant or nonimmigrant visa: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. People traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents are treated the same way.2Congress.gov. Expanded Travel Ban to Take Effect January 1, 2026
For anyone in this group, the only path forward is a case-by-case national interest waiver or falling within one of the narrow exempt categories described below.
Countries Under a Partial Visa Suspension
Twenty countries face a partial suspension. For 19 of them, the blocked categories are immigrant visas, B-1 and B-2 visitor visas, F and M student visas, and J exchange visitor visas. Work visas such as H-1B and L-1 are technically still available, but consular officers must issue any nonimmigrant visa for the shortest validity the law allows.3U.S. Department of State. Suspension of Visa Issuance to Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
The 19 countries under this partial suspension are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Turkmenistan sits in its own slot within the partial group. For Turkmen nationals, only immigrant visas are suspended. Nonimmigrant categories, including visitor, student, and exchange visas, remain available.
If You Already Hold a Valid Visa
The proclamation applies only to foreign nationals who were outside the United States and did not hold a valid visa as of January 1, 2026. Visas issued before that date were not revoked, and holders of those visas are not subject to the ban.3U.S. Department of State. Suspension of Visa Issuance to Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States The exposure comes at renewal. Once a current visa expires, any new application is judged under the restrictions in place at that time.
Who Is Exempt
The exemptions in the December 2025 proclamation are narrower than those in earlier travel bans. If a category is not on this list, it is not exempt.
- Lawful permanent residents (green card holders).
- Dual nationals who travel on a passport from a country not covered by the ban.
- Diplomatic and official visa holders on A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1 through G-4, or NATO-1 through NATO-6 visas.
- Athletes, coaches, and support staff traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting events designated by the Secretary of State.
- Special Immigrant Visa holders under 8 U.S.C. ยง 1101(a)(27)(D) for service to the U.S. government.
- Members of persecuted religious and ethnic minorities from Iran applying for immigrant visas.
- People already granted asylum or admitted to the United States as refugees.
U.S. citizens are not subject to any travel ban and retain the right to return to the country.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
One important change from earlier bans: being the spouse, parent, or minor child of a U.S. citizen is no longer an automatic exemption. Neither is being an adopted child or an Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holder.2Congress.gov. Expanded Travel Ban to Take Effect January 1, 2026 Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens from banned countries must now pursue a case-by-case national interest waiver.
A Separate Pause Affects 75 More Countries
Alongside the travel ban, a State Department action effective January 21, 2026 paused immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries flagged as high-risk for public benefits usage. The list overlaps with the travel ban in places but reaches many countries the ban does not, including Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Jamaica, Pakistan, and Russia. The pause applies only to immigrant visas; nonimmigrant visa processing continues for these countries unless they also appear on the 39-country travel ban list.4U.S. Department of State. Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of Public Benefits Usage
Applicants covered by the pause can still submit applications and attend consular interviews. Dual nationals applying on a passport from a country not on the list are exempt, and American families adopting children from affected countries may qualify for an exception and should continue the normal adoption process.
Requesting a National Interest Waiver
For applicants who are not exempt, the only route through the ban is a national interest waiver. The Secretary of State, the Attorney General, or the Secretary of Homeland Security can each grant one when an individual’s travel is found to serve a U.S. national interest.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States There is no separate waiver application; you request it during the regular consular visa interview.
A strong request generally shows three things: that admitting you serves a U.S. national interest, that you do not pose a security threat, and that denial would cause undue hardship to you or your family. The proclamation identifies people with significant U.S. business ties, prior long-term U.S. residents seeking to return, patients needing urgent medical care, infants and young children, and travelers on U.S. government-related business as situations where waivers may be appropriate.
You still file Form DS-160 (the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application), pay the fee, and schedule an interview at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.5U.S. Department of State. DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application The non-refundable application fee is $185 for most nonimmigrant categories and $205 for petition-based categories such as H, L, O, P, Q, and R.6U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services The consular officer receives the waiver request and supporting evidence at the interview, and the case then enters administrative processing that can run for weeks or months. You can track status through the Consular Electronic Application Center portal.7U.S. Department of State. CEAC Visa Status Check
How Long the Ban Stays in Place
The proclamation requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, to report to the President every 180 days on whether the restrictions should continue, expand, or be scaled back.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States Countries can be removed from the list if their information-sharing and identity-management practices improve, and countries can be added if theirs deteriorate.
A future president can also revoke the proclamation outright, as the Biden administration did on its first day in January 2021 with the original travel ban. Long-term immigration plans for anyone from an affected country should account for both possibilities.