The United States immigration ban list, as of late 2025, has two layers. Presidential proclamations fully suspend entry for nationals of 20 countries and partially suspend entry for roughly 20 more. Separately, federal immigration law bars individual applicants from any country based on health, criminal history, security concerns, fraud, financial dependence, or prior unlawful presence. Whether you can enter depends on both filters: your country of nationality and your personal record.
Countries Fully Suspended From Entry
Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act gives the President authority to block entry of any group of foreign nationals considered harmful to national interests. In June 2025, President Trump used that authority to fully suspend entry, as both immigrants and nonimmigrants, for nationals of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.1The White House. Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats
A December 2025 proclamation kept those 12 in place and added 8 more to the full-suspension tier: Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents.2The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States Laos and Sierra Leone had been under partial suspension in June and were escalated to complete bans in December. For nationals of any country on this list, virtually no visa category is available.
Countries Under Partial Suspension
A second tier of countries faces partial rather than blanket restrictions. Immigrant visas and several common nonimmigrant categories (tourist, student, exchange visitor, and vocational visas) are suspended for these nationals. Other nonimmigrant categories, such as work visas, remain technically available but with reduced validity periods.
The December 2025 proclamation continued partial suspensions from June for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela, and added a large group of new countries:2The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Turkmenistan received a partial rollback in December: its suspension of nonimmigrant tourist, student, and exchange visitor visas was lifted, though immigrant visa restrictions remained. Venezuela carries a separate layer of sanctions under federal law that imposes visa restrictions on current and former officials aligned with the Maduro government and their family members.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 9721 – Additional Restrictions on Visas
The government reviews these lists periodically. Countries can be added, removed, or moved between tiers based on whether they improve information-sharing and security protocols.
Who Is Exempt From the Country Bans
Even nationals of fully suspended countries are not shut out in every situation. The June 2025 proclamation carved out several groups, and those exemptions carried into the December order.1The White House. Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats
- Lawful permanent residents (green card holders) are not affected.
- Dual nationals can travel on the passport of an unrestricted country.
- Diplomats and international organization representatives holding A-1, A-2, G, or NATO visa classifications are exempt.
- Spouses, minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens may still qualify for immigrant visas with clear proof of identity and the family relationship.
- Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders and foreign nationals who worked for the U.S. government are exempt.
- Persecuted religious and ethnic minorities from Iran have a specific carve-out for immigrant visas.
The proclamations also apply only to people who were outside the United States and did not hold a valid visa on the date each order took effect. Someone already in the country or already holding a valid visa was not retroactively affected.
Individual Grounds That Can Bar Any Applicant
Country of nationality is only the first filter. Every visa applicant is also screened individually under Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the bars there apply regardless of where you are from.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens
Health
Anyone found to have a communicable disease of public health significance, such as active tuberculosis, is inadmissible. A designated physician conducts the medical exam and reports results to the consular officer before any visa is issued.5U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 302.2 – Ineligibility Based on Health and Medical Grounds Immigrant visa applicants must also show proof of vaccination against a CDC-designated list that includes mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus, and hepatitis B. A waiver exists for sincere religious or moral objections, but it requires objection to all vaccinations; refusing only some does not qualify.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 9 Part D Chapter 3 – Waiver of Immigrant Vaccination Requirement
Public Charge
An applicant likely to become primarily dependent on the government for basic needs is inadmissible on public charge grounds. Officers weigh at least five factors: age, health, family status, assets and financial resources, and education and skills. No single factor is automatically disqualifying, but the overall picture governs the decision. Most family-based immigrants also need a sponsor to file Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, committing to maintain the immigrant’s income at a required level.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Affidavit of Support
Criminal History
Criminal grounds are the most unforgiving individual filter. A conviction for, or admission of, any crime involving moral turpitude (offenses reflecting dishonesty or serious disregard for others, such as fraud, theft, and crimes intended to cause serious physical harm) triggers inadmissibility.8U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 302.3 – Ineligibility Based on Criminal Activity, Criminal Convictions and Related Activities A narrow “petty offense” exception can save a single conviction where the maximum possible sentence was one year or less and the actual sentence was six months or less.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part F Chapter 5 – Conditional Bars for Acts in Statutory Period More than one qualifying offense wipes out the exception.
Any controlled substance conviction or admission triggers inadmissibility, with no petty offense exception. The one narrow opening is simple possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana, which can be waived if the offense happened more than 15 years ago and the applicant is rehabilitated, or if denial would cause extreme hardship to a qualifying U.S. citizen or permanent resident relative.10U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 302.4 – Ineligibility Based on Controlled Substance Violations
An aggravated felony conviction carries the harshest consequences. The category covers murder, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, money laundering, and fraud above a set loss threshold, among others. It permanently bars the good moral character required for naturalization and eliminates most forms of relief from removal.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part F Chapter 4 – Permanent Bars to Good Moral Character
Security and Terrorism
Participation in terrorist activity, providing material support to a terrorist organization, or being reasonably believed likely to engage in terrorism after entry all trigger inadmissibility. “Material support” is defined broadly and can include financial contributions, logistical assistance, or providing housing to members of a designated group.12U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 302.6 – Ineligibilities Based on Terrorism-Related Grounds Espionage and efforts to overthrow the government by unlawful means fall under the same heading. A separate provision makes membership in a communist or other totalitarian party a ground of inadmissibility for immigrants, with exceptions for involuntary membership, membership before age 16, or membership that ended long enough before the application.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8 Part F Chapter 3 – Immigrant Membership in Totalitarian Party
Fraud and Misrepresentation
Using fraud or willful misrepresentation of a material fact to obtain a visa, entry, or any other immigration benefit is a permanent, lifetime bar. It covers false statements on applications, fake supporting documents, and misrepresentations to consular officers or border agents.14U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 302.9 – Ineligibility Based on Illegal Entry, Misrepresentation and Other Immigration Violations A separate provision bars people who help others enter unlawfully, even without payment and even if the person helped was a family member. A discretionary waiver exists for immigrants who assisted only their own spouse, parent, son, or daughter.
Unlawful Presence
Time spent in the United States without legal status creates reentry bars that only trigger when you leave the country. Someone who overstays and then departs voluntarily may not realize they have started a clock.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Unlawful Presence and Inadmissibility
- More than 180 days but less than one year of unlawful presence in a single stay, followed by departure before removal proceedings begin, triggers a 3-year bar on reentry.
- One year or more of unlawful presence in a single stay, followed by departure or removal, triggers a 10-year bar.
- More than one year of total unlawful presence across any number of stays, followed by departure or removal and then reentry or attempted reentry without inspection, triggers a permanent bar. The only path back requires waiting at least 10 years outside the United States and then applying, on Form I-212, for discretionary consent to reapply.16U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission
Minors under 18, people with pending good-faith asylum applications, VAWA self-petitioners whose unlawful presence is connected to their abuse, Family Unity beneficiaries, and victims of severe trafficking do not accrue unlawful presence for the 3- and 10-year bars. Those exceptions do not apply to the permanent bar for unlawful reentry.
Waivers for People Who Fall on the List
Many, though not all, grounds of inadmissibility have corresponding waivers. Form I-601 is the general waiver application for criminal grounds, fraud, and other bars. Most versions require showing that denial would cause extreme hardship to a qualifying U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident relative, and “extreme hardship” is measured against the family’s full picture: ties to the United States, caregiving responsibilities, ages and health of family members, financial impact, and conditions in the country the family would have to relocate to.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 9 Part B Chapter 5 – Extreme Hardship Considerations and Factors
Form I-601A is a provisional waiver specifically for people whose only ground of inadmissibility is unlawful presence. It lets the applicant get a decision while still in the United States, before traveling abroad for the consular interview. Eligibility requires an approved immigrant visa petition, physical presence in the United States, inadmissibility solely for unlawful presence, and proof of extreme hardship to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse or parent.18U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-601A, Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver
Some bars have no waiver at all. Terrorism-related grounds are among the hardest to overcome, and aggravated felony convictions foreclose most forms of immigration relief. If you fall within any category on the ban list, whether by nationality or by individual ground, the first practical question is whether a waiver exists for your specific bar and whether you can meet its standard.