As of June 9, 2025, the United States will bar nationals from 12 countries and impose restrictions on seven other states, Donald Trump announced, revising a ban he had implemented during his first term.
The decision applies to Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, according to the White House.
The restrictions are threefold:
- General entry ban, with rare diplomatic exceptions or humanitarian cases.
- Suspension of the issuance of all types of non-immigrant and immigrant visas for citizens of these countries.
- Refusal of admission even with a valid visa issued before the decree (limited cases to be examined on a case-by-case basis).
Nationals of seven other countries are subject to visa issuance restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The restrictions are:
- Suspension or limitation of certain visa categories (including diversity, student, and work visas).
- Enhanced security checks on applicants.
- Extensive administrative investigations and significant delays in processing applications.
- Possible refusal of entry even with a valid visa, if security risks are identified.
The US government, which has a very restrictive anti-immigration policy, explains the presence of countries on this list by the absence of effective administrations to ensure the control of travelers and the tendency of nationals of certain countries to remain in the United States after the expiration of their visas.