Updated Travel Restrictions Announced
This article was originally posted June 5, 2025; it has been updated to include new information.
On Dec. 16, 2025, the Trump administration announced it was revising and expanding the full and partial that were implemented in June 2025. The , impacting 39 different countries, become effective at 12:01 a.m. (EST) on Jan. 1, 2026. The restrictions apply to individuals who are currently outside the United States and who do not have a valid visa on Jan. 1, 2026. Individuals who are in the United States or who have a valid visa on Jan. 1, 2026, are not subject to these expanded restrictions.
We recognize that this news may cause concern or uncertainty for members of our community, so we want to ensure everyone has the information they need to understand the potential impacts.
There are , full and partial:
- Full: Nationals of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria are restricted or barred from immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance. Additionally, individuals using a Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed travel document will not be issued a U.S. immigrant or nonimmigrant visa under this new proclamation.
- Partial: Immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance in B, F, M and J visa classifications is suspended for nationals of Angona, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senega, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Nonimmigrants may be able to obtain visas in other statuses, such as H-1B or O-1, and enter the U.S. The restriction for Turkmenistan is changing from a full to a partial restriction, allowing issuance of B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas as of Jan. 1, 2026.
The order indicates that the restrictions apply to immigrants and nonimmigrants; however, it also indicates that the proclamation does not apply to any “lawful permanent resident of the United States.” Other exceptions are listed as well, including dual nationals of a country on the list when the individual is “traveling on a passport issued by a country” not on the list.
We advise anyone who is a national of any of the listed countries to consider international travel carefully, even if not subject to the travel restrictions.
Our team is here to provide support and guidance, so if you have questions or concerns about how these travel restrictions may impact you, please do not hesitate to contact OIE at oie@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-5231.