Trump Dramatically Expands Travel and Visa Bans for Dozens of Countries

Olga Nesterova
1 hour ago
4 min read

New restrictions take effect January 1, 2026

The United States will sharply restrict or fully suspend entry for foreign nationals from more than 30 countries under a sweeping new proclamation signed by President Donald Trump on December 16, 2025.

The order dramatically expands Trump’s earlier travel bans, intensifies scrutiny across entire regions, and removes major visa exceptions previously available to families — representing one of the most extensive nationality-based entry restrictions in modern U.S. history.

Framed as a national security measure, the proclamation argues that many governments around the world fail to meet U.S. standards for identity verification, record-keeping, or information-sharing. It cites corruption, fraudulent documents, armed groups, and high visa-overstay rates as justification for imposing broad suspensions on both immigrant (permanent resident) and nonimmigrant (temporary) entry.

What the Administration Says Is Behind the New Bans

The document builds on the legal foundation of Trump's 2017 travel ban, again invoking Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act — the same authority previously upheld by the Supreme Court.

The administration claims that certain countries present persistent problems:

Unreliable civil documents — handwritten or easily altered birth certificates, marriage records, and criminal records
Widespread corruption, allowing anyone to buy identity documents
Lack of government control over territory
Terrorist organizations operating freely
High U.S. visa-overstay rates
Citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programs allowing individuals to buy passports and circumvent restrictions

Officials say these conditions prevent the U.S. from reliably confirming identities or screening for threats — and therefore justify suspending entry entirely.

Countries Already Under Full Ban — and Still Banned

Twelve countries already subject to full suspension under a June 2025 proclamation will remain fully banned for all immigrants and nonimmigrants:

Afghanistan
Burma (Myanmar)
Chad
Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Haiti
Iran
Libya
Somalia
Sudan
Yemen

Partial restrictions also continue for:

Burundi
Cuba
Togo
Venezuela

New Full Bans: Seven Additional Countries + Palestinian Authority Documents

Seven countries are newly added to the full suspension list — no immigrant or nonimmigrant entry permitted:

Burkina Faso
Laos
Mali
Niger
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Syria

The reasoning ranges from armed conflict and terrorism to unreliable documentation and refusal to accept deportees.

In a significant new provision, all individuals traveling on travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority are fully barred from entering the United States.

The administration cites:

the presence of U.S.-designated terrorist groups in the West Bank and Gaza
the impact of the ongoing war on vetting capabilities
the PA’s “weak or nonexistent” control over territory

New Partial Suspensions: Fifteen Countries Face Broad Visa Restrictions

Fifteen more countries will face partial but sweeping visa bans, especially affecting immigrant visas and the most common nonimmigrant categories — tourism (B-1/B-2), business, students (F/M), and exchange visitors (J):

Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Benin
Côte d’Ivoire
Dominica
Gabon
The Gambia
Malawi
Mauritania
Nigeria
Senegal
Tanzania
Tonga
Zambia
Zimbabwe

For visas not banned outright, consular officers must reduce visa validity periods, effectively tightening the system even further.

Reasons cited include: high overstay rates, terrorist activity in certain regions, weak state institutions, and CBI programs viewed as vulnerable to abuse.

A Partial Reprieve for Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is the only country whose restrictions are eased:

Nonimmigrant visa bans are lifted due to improved cooperation.
Immigrant visas remain suspended.

Narrowing Exceptions: Family Immigration Severely Limited

A stark change from earlier policy is the removal of broad exceptions for family-based immigrant visas. The administration argues that because these countries’ records are unreliable, family ties can be — and historically have been — exploited for fraud or even terrorist financing.

Remaining exceptions include:

Green card holders
Diplomats and NATO/G visa categories
Dual nationals traveling on a passport from a non-restricted country
Athletes and teams traveling for major global sporting events
Certain Special Immigrant Visas for U.S. government employees
A narrow category of persecuted minorities from Iran

Waivers may still be granted on a “national interest” basis by the Attorney General, Secretary of State, or Secretary of Homeland Security — but these are expected to be rare.

A Quiet but Significant Structural Shift: Immigration Fees Now Go to the DOJ

Separate from the travel bans, the administration has introduced a major change in how immigration fees are collected — a structural shift with far-reaching implications.

Historically, all immigration-related fees were paid to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a primarily service-oriented, self-funded agency within the Department of Homeland Security.

Under the new policy, applicants will pay fees directly to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) — the immigration court system under the Department of Justice, overseen by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

This change effectively:

Moves the financial backbone of immigration processing from DHS to DOJ
Places revenue under the control of the prosecutorial and adjudicative branch
Potentially reduces the operational independence of USCIS
Consolidates greater authority — legal, procedural, and now financial — within the Attorney General’s office

In practical terms, the same institution that prosecutes immigration cases will now control the funding stream behind large portions of the immigration system, tightening administrative oversight and centralizing power inside the DOJ.

Who Is Actually Affected?

The bans apply only to individuals who:

Are nationals of the listed countries,
Are outside the United States on January 1, 2026, and
Do not already hold a valid visa.

People already in the U.S. or already holding visas are not immediately affected. Asylum rights at the border, refugee protections, and previously granted asylum remain unchanged on paper.

A Policy Built for Ongoing Expansion

The proclamation requires the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Homeland Security Secretary, and DNI to review all restrictions every 180 days and recommend adjustments. This built-in cycle means the policy is designed to be iterative — potentially expanding, contracting, or being reshaped depending on political priorities and foreign-state compliance.

The Bottom Line

With this proclamation, Trump is not merely reinstating the travel ban — he is massively enlarging it, touching regions across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Caribbean. The policy: