White House proclamation announces new travel restrictions

Global Immigration alert

On 4 June 2025, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation announcing new restrictions on certain foreign nationals entering the United States. The travel restrictions will fully or partially limit visa issuance and entry to the United States for nationals from several counties based on “identity-management or information-sharing inadequacies” of those governments.

The new travel restrictions are scheduled to take effect on 9 June 2025 at 12:01 am eastern daylight time.

Background

The proclamation follows the report directed by Executive Order 14161, Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats, which the president signed on 20 January 2025 and directed the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, Attorney General, and Director of National intelligence, to submit a report identifying countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a full or partial suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries” into the United States.

Based on the report submitted to the president on 9 April 2025 and “foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism goals . . . [as well as other] . . . various factors, including each country’s screening and vetting capabilities, information sharing policies, and country-specific risk factors,” the president identified 19 countries for which to restrict and limit (either full or partial) entry into the United States. The proclamation also directs the Secretary of State and other named officials to “devise a process” to regularly assess, review, and recommend if the restrictions “should be continued, terminated, modified, or supplemented.”

Analysis

The administration has identified 12 countries for full restriction on the entry of nationals from these countries to the United States. The restrictions apply to both entry of immigrants and non-immigrants from the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Burma
• Chad
• Republic of Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Libya
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen

Seven (7) countries have been identified for partial restriction on the entry of nationals from these countries to the United States. The restrictions apply to both entry of immigrants and certain nonimmigrants from the following countries:

• Burundi
• Cuba
• Laos
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela

Partial restrictions apply to nonimmigrants of these countries seeking entry in the following visa categories:  B-1/B-2 (business visitors/tourists), F (students), M (vocational training) and J (exchange visitors). Consular officers are also directed to reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of the above countries “to the extent permitted by law.”

Exceptions

The proclamation only applies to foreign nationals of the designated countries who are outside the United States on or after the effective date (9 June 2025), and do not have a valid visa. Further, the travel restrictions will not apply to lawful permanent residents of the United States, dual citizens who hold a passport from a country that is not listed, and certain visa categories:

• Diplomats and employees of international organizations and NATO
• Athletes or members of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State
• Immediate family immigrant visa holders as identified with clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship (DNA)
• Adoptions (IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, IH-4)
• Afghan Special Immigrant Visas
• Special Immigrant Visas for United States Government employees
• Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran

Furthermore, the proclamation exempts individuals whose entry to the United States serves a critical national interest, which will be approved on a case-by-case basis. This may include individuals who must be present to participate in criminal proceedings as witnesses. The proclamation does not revoke visas issued before its effective date and will not apply to individuals granted asylum, refugee status if already admitted to the United States, withholding from removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture.

What this means

U.S. employers may wish to determine if they have any employees that are citizens from the above-noted countries and review their current immigration status and potential impacts to their work authorization or ability to travel internationally with an immigration professional. Developments in this space are likely to remain fluid as it is possible that this latest action faces legal challenges.