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On June 4, 2025, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation suspending entry into the United States for nationals of twelve countries – Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Nationals of seven more countries will be subject to a partial ban on entry – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
This follows Executive Order 14161 of January 20, 2025 – Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats – which directed the Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security to identify nations with supposed deficient vetting and screening standards, and to recommend whether nationals from any countries should be subject to a full or partial ban on entry.
On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued another Presidential Proclamation imposing further restrictions on the original list of banned countries and expanding the June 4 travel ban to several other countries, effective January 1, 2026. The exemption for immediate relative and adoption visas that was present in the June proclamation has been revoked, though some limited exceptions remain.
The December 16 Proclamation significantly expands travel and entry restrictions by imposing full bans on five additional countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria—and on individuals holding Palestinian Authority–issued travel documents, while upgrading Laos and Sierra Leone from partial to full restrictions. It continues partial restrictions on nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela and adds new partial restrictions on 15 additional countries across Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
What does this new travel ban do?
The ban fully restricts and limits the entry into the U.S. of nationals from nineteen countries, including Iran. It does this by restricting these nationals from securing new immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. There are very limited exemptions (see below) and an extremely high bar for a waiver.
Iran is one of nineteen nations subject to effective total suspension on entry. Nineteen more nations are subject to partial restrictions on entry.
When does the ban take effect?
The ban officially took effect on June 9, 2025. The expansion and additional restrictions of the ban will take effect on January 1, 2026.
If I already have a visa by the time the ban takes effect, is it still valid?
Yes, existing visas that have already been issued should still be valid and should not be impacted by this proclamation. The order states that the restrictions on entry only apply to individuals who are both outside the United States and do not have a valid visa on June 9, 2025.
Some number of Iranian nationals have continued to receive visas in the opening months of 2025 and may not yet have entered the United States. While the order states these visas should be valid, experience tells us that this does not guarantee there will not be complications attempting to enter the U.S. – particularly amid the rollout of this order.
Are legal permanent residents (green card holders) impacted by this order?
No, legal permanent residents are not impacted directly by this order. The order states “suspension of and limitation on entry…shall not apply to any lawful permanent resident of the United States.”
What exemptions are listed?
The ban makes exceptions for the following categories of people:
- Legal permanent residents (green card holders);
- Diplomats;
- Dual nationals traveling on a passport of a country not designated under the order;
- Professional athletes attending major sporting events;
- Immigrant visas for “ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.”
If the visa categories are not listed in the above exemptions, we expect Iranians and other nationals from “banned” countries will be broadly barred from securing them moving forward.
Immediate family immigrant visas – including IR-1/CR-1, IR-2/CR-2, IR-5 – as well as Adoption visas – IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, IH-4 – were previously exempt under the original travel ban proclamation announced and implemented this past June, but as of January 1, 2026, such exemptions will no longer be included.
Afghan and U.S. government-affiliated special immigrant visa (SIV) holders were previously also exempted, but as of January 1, 2026, such exemptions will no longer be included.
Is there a waiver?
There is an extremely high-bar waiver included. Whereas prior bans gave discretion to consular officers, and laid out general criteria, the discretion for the waiver is granted to the Secretary of State.
The order states “Exceptions to the suspension of and limitation on entry pursuant to sections 2 and 3 of this proclamation may be made case-by-case for individuals for whom the Secretary of State finds, in his discretion, that the travel by the individual would serve a United States national interest. These exceptions shall be made by only the Secretary of State or his designee, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security or her designee.”
We do not anticipate this waiver will be utilized with the same frequency as prior bans enacted in President Trump’s first term.
For further updates, visit our Travel Ban Center.