Who Is Blocked From U.S. Entry by 2025 Travel Ban

The Trump administration, citing goals related to foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism, has issued a proclamation that will ban most travel to the United States from 12 countries and severely restrict travel from 7 additional countries. (See the June 4, 2025 White House Fact Sheet and Proclamation.)

This travel ban went into effect just days after the announcement, on Monday, June 9, 2025.

The proclamation does contain carveouts for some visa categories and allow case-by-case exceptions to be made for people whose entry is considered to serve U.S. national interests. Also, the ban does not limit or cancel the rights of existing green card holders. Nor does it affect people within the United States who are applying for immigration benefits such as adjustment of status, though they might receive higher-than-normal scrutiny.

Nevertheless, it will come as a shock to foreign nationals who were on their way to requesting or obtaining U.S. nonimmigrant visas in employment and various other categories or lawful permanent residence. We'll discuss the details below.

Expect more news to come on this, as well. For starters, the Trump administration has reportedly listed 36 more countries (primarily in Africa) as possible additions to the list.

Countries Affected by Full Travel Ban

Nationals of the following countries will be "fully" restricted from entering the United States under the June 2025 travel ban:

(But see the carveouts and exceptions below.)

Countries Affected by Partial Travel Ban

The 2025 travel ban "partially" restricts entry by nationals of:

• Burundi
• Cuba
• Laos
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Turkmenistan, and
• Venezuela.

The "partial" element refers to three main factors:

• the ban suspends entry by immigrant visa applicants who were outside the U.S. on June 9 and hadn't yet received their immigrant visa for lawful permanent residence by that date, but still allows entry by people who received immigrant visas before June 9
• the ban allows some entry to nonimmigrant (temporary) visa holders, but suspends entry for B-1 and B-2 visitors as well as F, M, and J students and exchange visitors, and
• the ban reduces the validity period for all other temporary (nonimmigrant) visas.

The below-described carveouts and exceptions also apply here.

Carveouts: Types of Visas That Still Allow U.S. Entry

Nationals of the affected countries who fall into these categories are exempt from both the full and partial suspensions:

• green card holders (lawful permanent residents)
• dual nationals of a non-listed country (thought they will need to show the passport from the unaffected country upon entry to the United States)
• holders of these types of visas: A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, and NATO-6
• athletes and coaches in World Cup, Olympics, or major sporting events
• immediate relatives (immigrant visa categories IR-1/CR-1, IR-2/CR-2, and IR-5, meaning spouse, parents, and minor children of U.S. citizens), though they will need to show "clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship," which likely means providing DNA evidence in addition to the usual documentation (such as birth and marriage certificates)
• adoption-based immigrant visa holders (categories IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, and IH-4)
• Afghan Special Immigrant visa holders
• holders of Special Immigrant visas for U.S. government employees
• holders of immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran
• refugees (but only if they have already been admitted to the United States)
• people granted asylum in the United States, and
• people granted withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).

There are some categories you might expect to see carveouts for, such as family of refugees applying for entry on Form I-730, but so far no such exceptions have been made.

Case-by-Case "National Interest" Exceptions

Exceptions may be requested and granted if a foreign national's entry would serve to advance either:

• a U.S. national interest, or
• a "critical" U.S. national interest that involves the Department of Justice (DOJ), such as to testify as a witness in a criminal proceeding.

Although immigration legal experts speculate that these exception requests would likely be handled by a consular officer in the relevant country, the exact procedures have not been laid out yet.

Who Will Be Most Impacted by Travel Ban

Although current green card holders won't be affected, it's important to realize that for as long as this ban is in effect, a number of people will be unable to seek U.S. lawful permanent residence through employer sponsorship or family relationship. While immediate relatives can still move forward with immigration applications, "preference relatives" (brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens, adult or married children of U.S. citizens, spouses and children of U.S. lawful permanent residents) can not.

Many would-be nonimmigrant visa seekers will be affected as well, even in countries subject to the partial ban, including those in most employment categories, crew members (on C-1 visas) and family of world-class athletes.

Consult an Attorney If the Travel Ban Might Affect You

Full details have not yet emerged about this very recent ban. It's possible that fewer than 200,000 people will be affected, based on analyses of past entries by people from countries on the list. But the list is supposed to be reevaluated in 90 days, which could add more countries to the list. Egypt is already under consideration.

Also, the picture could change if and when lawsuits are filed. Although travel bans under the first Trump Administration encountered massive opposition from states as well as individuals, and were largely halted by U.S. federal courts, experts note that this order has been written to counter earlier judicial objections. For instance, this 2025 ban includes country-by-country justifications for their inclusion in the ban. On the other hand, critics point out numerous inconsistencies in the criteria for inclusion on the list.

Keeping in touch with an experienced attorney would be a good idea in advance of any visa application or travel.