As of January 1, 2026, nationals of roughly 40 countries face U.S. entry restrictions under a set of presidential proclamations issued in 2025. The US travel ban countries fall into two groups: 19 countries whose nationals face a full suspension of all visa issuance, and about 20 more whose nationals face a partial suspension covering immigrant visas plus tourist, student, and exchange visitor categories. The specific list has shifted since the ban’s June 2025 rollout, so anyone affected should confirm the current status before filing an application or booking travel.
Countries Under a Full Visa Suspension
Nationals of these 19 countries cannot obtain any U.S. visa — immigrant or nonimmigrant — while the ban is in force:
- Afghanistan
- Burkina Faso
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Laos
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
Anyone traveling on documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority is also subject to the full suspension, regardless of nationality.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States If you are a national of one of these countries and don’t already hold a valid U.S. visa, no new visa of any type is available unless you fit an exemption or receive a discretionary exception.
Countries Under a Partial Visa Suspension
For nationals of these countries, immigrant visa issuance is suspended, and so are nonimmigrant visas in the B (business and tourist), F (student), M (vocational student), and J (exchange visitor) categories:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Burundi
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tonga
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Turkmenistan sits in its own category. Its nonimmigrant visa suspension has been lifted, but immigrant visa issuance for Turkmen nationals remains blocked.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
Nonimmigrant categories outside B, F, M, and J may still be available to nationals of partial-ban countries. Consular officers, however, are directed to shorten the validity period of any nonimmigrant visa they do issue to nationals of these countries.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
What Each Tier Actually Blocks
A full suspension closes every door. A Syrian or Somali national cannot obtain an immigrant visa to join family, a tourist visa to visit, or a student visa to study, unless an exemption or case-by-case exception applies.
A partial suspension is narrower but still covers most reasons people travel to the United States. B visas handle tourism and short business trips. F and J visas cover university students and exchange visitors. M visas cover vocational training. Immigrant visas cover everyone trying to move permanently, whether through family sponsorship, employment, or the diversity lottery. A Nigerian engineer with an approved H-1B petition may still be eligible for the visa, but with a shorter validity period than the norm. A Cuban student trying to attend a U.S. university on an F-1, however, is blocked.
If You Already Hold a Valid U.S. Visa
The proclamation applies to nationals who were outside the United States on its effective date and did not already hold a valid visa at that time. A visa issued before the ban took effect is not revoked by the proclamation itself.2The White House. Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats Holding a valid visa has never guaranteed admission, though. Customs and Border Protection officers at the port of entry keep their usual authority to question travelers and deny entry on other grounds.
Who Is Exempt From the Ban
Several categories of people are carved out of the ban entirely, no matter which listed country they come from:
- Lawful permanent residents. Green card holders are not affected, and their right to return is not overridden.
- Dual nationals traveling on a passport from a country not on the list.
- Diplomats and international organization personnel on A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1 through G-4, or NATO-1 through NATO-6 visas.
- People already granted asylum, admitted as refugees, or protected under withholding of removal or the Convention Against Torture.
- Immediate relative immigrant visa applicants (IR-1, CR-1, IR-2, CR-2, IR-5) who provide clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship, such as DNA testing.
- Intercountry adoption cases in the IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, and IH-4 categories.
- Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders and other special immigrants who worked for the U.S. government.
- Members of persecuted religious and ethnic minority groups in Iran, for immigrant visas.
- Athletes, coaches, support staff, and their immediate family traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting events designated by the Secretary of State.
These exemptions are written directly into the proclamation.2The White House. Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats U.S. citizens cannot be barred from their own country under any travel ban.
Case-by-Case Exceptions
If none of the exemptions fit, a discretionary exception is the remaining path. The Secretary of State, the Attorney General, or the Secretary of Homeland Security can approve one after finding that the applicant’s travel serves 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 dedicated form, no separate fee, and no formal appeal if you are turned down. The consular officer at your visa interview is the person who decides whether to refer your case for an exception. Anything showing that your presence benefits the United States belongs at that interview: employment contracts with U.S. organizations, letters from federal agencies, evidence of specialized research, or medical records showing a need for treatment unavailable at home.
Approval rates have historically been very low. Under an earlier version of the travel ban, only about 6% of applicants received exceptions, and the current structure is similar. A consular denial is also generally not reviewable in federal court; courts have long held that consular visa decisions sit outside judicial review, even when a decision seems arbitrary. Any internal reconsideration happens only at the consular officer’s own initiative.
How the List Can Change
The country list is not fixed. Every 180 days, the Secretary of State, working with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, submits a report to the President recommending whether restrictions should continue, end, be modified, or be expanded.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States That review cycle is how the list grew from 19 countries in June 2025 to roughly 40 by January 2026, and it is also the mechanism for removing countries that improve their information-sharing. Turkmenistan is the current example: it originally faced both immigrant and nonimmigrant restrictions, and the nonimmigrant piece was lifted after compliance improved.
Because the list can shift at each cycle, check the State Department’s visa news page for the most current version of the proclamation before filing an application or making travel plans.3U.S. Department of State. Suspension of Visa Issuance to Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States