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U.S. Expands Travel Restrictions to 39 Countries as Proclamation 10998 Takes Effect

The White House says the policy targets countries with vetting shortfalls and unreliable security data.

Overview

  • The Jan. 1 policy imposes full entry suspensions on immigrants and all nonimmigrants from 20 countries and entities.
  • An additional 20 countries face partial suspensions covering immigrants and B-1/B-2, F, M and J visa applicants, with other visa validity curtailed where permitted.
  • The update adds Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria to the full-ban list, moves Laos and Sierra Leone from partial to full, and includes Palestinian Authority travel documents.
  • Nations newly placed under partial limits include Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others.
  • Turkmenistan is a special case with restrictions limited to immigrants, while limited exceptions remain in place and officials cite deficient information-sharing as the rationale.