President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation significantly expanding U.S. travel and visa restrictions on foreign nationals from more than 30 countries, citing national security, public safety, and persistent deficiencies in screening and information-sharing systems.
The proclamation, issued by the White House on Monday, builds on earlier travel restrictions first introduced during Trump’s initial term and reinstated in June 2025. It introduces new full and partial entry limitations based on updated assessments by U.S. security and immigration agencies.
According to the White House, the measures are designed to prevent entry by individuals from countries where the United States “lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose,” while also pressuring governments to improve cooperation on identity management, repatriation, and law-enforcement data sharing.
Countries Facing Full Entry Restrictions
The proclamation maintains full entry suspensions on nationals from 12 countries already classified as high-risk:
Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
It adds five countries to the full ban list following recent security and overstay assessments:
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Burkina Faso
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Mali
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Niger
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South Sudan
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Syria
In addition, the U.S. will impose full restrictions on individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents, citing terrorist activity in the West Bank and Gaza and the absence of reliable vetting systems.
Two countries previously under partial restrictions — Laos and Sierra Leone — have now been moved to full suspension status, largely due to high visa overstay rates and long-standing refusal to accept deported nationals.
Partial Restrictions Extended to Nigeria and 14 Other Countries
The proclamation also expands partial visa restrictions—covering immigrants and non-immigrants on B-1, B-2, F, M, and J visas—to 15 additional countries, including Nigeria.
The newly added countries under partial suspension are:
Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
For Nigeria, the White House cited the presence of extremist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State affiliates, alongside screening challenges in certain regions. U.S. data show Nigeria recorded a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56% and an F, M, and J overstay rate of 11.90%.
Overstay Rates and Civil Documentation at the Core
U.S. authorities said many of the affected countries suffer from:
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High visa overstay rates
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Fraudulent or unreliable civil and criminal records
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Weak or nonexistent birth-registration systems
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Refusal to repatriate removable nationals
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Citizenship-by-Investment programmes that obscure identity
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Limited control over territory affected by terrorism or conflict
For example, Sierra Leone recorded an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.83%, while The Gambia posted an even higher 38.79% rate in the same category.
Turkmenistan Gets Partial Relief
In a rare easing of restrictions, the proclamation lifts the suspension on non-immigrant visas for Turkmenistan, citing improved cooperation and progress in identity management and information sharing.
However, immigrant visa entry for Turkmen nationals remains suspended pending further reforms.
Exceptions and Waivers Remain
The White House confirmed that the restrictions include exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, diplomats, athletes, and cases deemed to serve U.S. national interests. Case-by-case waivers will also remain available, though broad family-based visa carve-outs have been narrowed due to fraud concerns.
Legal and Political Context
Trump’s earlier travel bans were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that such measures fall within presidential authority when tied to national security objectives. The White House cited the ruling as legal backing for the expanded restrictions.
The administration said the new measures are “country-specific” and intended to encourage governments to address deficiencies rather than impose permanent exclusions.
