On December 16, 2025, President Trump expanded the travel ban to include 20 additional countries (Proclamation of December 16, 2025 published on whitehouse.gov and White House Fact Sheet on Proclamation of December 16, 2025).     

This latest proclamation further restricts entry into the United States and follows the travel restrictions first announced on June 4, 2025 (New Presidential Proclamation Bans Nationals of Several Countries from Entering the United States – Foster Global).   

Key Updates:  

• Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Laos, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria were added onto the Full Ban list (which suspends “entry into the United States” as “immigrants and nonimmigrants”)  
• Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe were added onto the Partial Ban list (which suspends “entry into the United States” as immigrants and of nonimmigrants on “B-1, B2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas”)  
• Entry Ban for Travelers Using Documents Issued by the Palestinian Authority 
• Eased Restrictions for Travelers from Turkmenistan as  B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J ban lifted, but remains subject to ban on immigrants. 

Under the June 2025 Presidential Proclamation, the countries subject to the full ban included  Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.   At this time, these countries continue to be subject to the full ban.  

Under the latest Presidential Proclamation, the list of countries subject to partial entry restrictions has been revised. Laos and Sierra Leone have been moved from the partial ban list to the full ban list.   Meanwhile, Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela remain subject to partial entry restrictions. 

Both proclamations cite concerns including inadequate screening and vetting, limited information sharing, high visa overstay rates, terrorism-related risks, and failure to accept removable nationals. The December proclamation states that the newly added countries exhibit “severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing.” 

Exceptions: 

People who already have visas, are lawful permanent residents of the U.S. or have certain visa categories such as diplomats or athletes, or whose entry into the country is believed to serve the U.S. interest, are all exempt from the restrictions.   However, the latest proclamation removes a key exception from the June 2025 travel ban that previously exempted the children, spouses and parents of U.S. citizens who had requested visas on their behalf. 

Effective Date:  

The ban provisions are applicable only to nationals of the subject country who are outside the U.S. without a valid visa on January 1, 2026.    

What This Means For You:  

Citizens of the restricted counties should consult with qualified immigration counsel to evaluate legal options and address any questions they may have regarding these new restrictions.  

Foster LLP will continue to monitor changes in immigration benefits and will provide additional updates via our firm’s website at fosterglobal.com.