The New 2025 Travel Ban: The List is Growing

On June 4, 2025, President Trump signed a sweeping new travel ban that blocks or restricts travel to the U.S. for nationals of 19 countries. The policy went into effect Monday, June 9, and impacts millions of people across Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.

Let’s break down what this means, who’s affected, and what comes next.

Who’s Banned?

12 countries face a full ban.
Nationals from the following countries are barred from entering the U.S. on any visa, immigrant or nonimmigrant:

• Afghanistan

• Burma (Myanmar)

• Chad

• Republic of the Congo

• Equatorial Guinea

• Eritrea

• Haiti

• Iran

• Libya

• Somalia

• Sudan

• Yemen

This includes tourist visas, student visas, work visas, and green cards.

7 countries face partial bans.
Citizens of these countries are banned from getting visitor (B-1/B-2), student (F, M), or exchange visitor (J) visas:

• Burundi

• Cuba

• Laos

• Sierra Leone

• Togo

• Turkmenistan

• Venezuela

Work visas and other types may still be available, but even those are now under tighter restrictions. Visa validity periods may be shortened or reduced without warning.

What’s the Justification?

The White House claims these countries failed to meet U.S. standards for identity verification, information sharing, and visa compliance. The administration points to high visa overstay rates and lack of cooperation on deportations.

It closely follows a visa crackdown that included mass deportations and program rollbacks. It echoes the 2017 Muslim ban, now with a broader geographic scope and a slightly different rationale.

And while Egypt, home of the man accused of a recent attack in Colorado, is not on the banned list, the administration used that incident to justify this policy.

Who’s Still Eligible?

There are a few exceptions:

• Individuals who were in the United States or had valid visas to enter the United States as when the proclamation went into effect on June 9th

• Dual nationals (of banned country and a non-banned country) traveling on passport issued by the non-banned country

• Athletes, support staff, and immediate relatives traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event

• Green card holders

• Diplomats and international organization staff

• Special Immigrant Visa holders (e.g., Afghans who assisted U.S. forces)

• Immediate family members of U.S. citizens (with proof)

• Certain adoption cases

• Certain immigrant visa applicants from ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran

But for most people, this policy will shut the door abruptly and with little recourse.

Why It Matters

This is not just a list of countries. These are people. Families. Students. Workers. Children hoping to be reunited with parents. Researchers. Business owners. Athletes. Communities.

The travel ban will separate families, cancel education dreams, block urgent medical care, and damage U.S. diplomatic ties. It will also increase racial profiling and fear at consulates and borders, especially for dual nationals and people with Arabic or African names.

What You Can Do

• If you’re affected, speak to a qualified immigration attorney as soon as possible. Visa renewals, travel plans, or pending applications could be impacted.

• Employers: check whether employees, interns, or contractors may be affected.

• Allies: share accurate info, amplify voices from impacted communities, and support legal funds and advocacy groups.

This ban took effect June 9. We don’t know who will be added next.

But we do know this: we’ve been here before. And we’re ready to push back.

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