This article was last updated on June 13, 2025

Summary

This article explains what the recent U.S. travel ban means for people who are outside of the U.S. and from “partially restricted” countries. The “partly restricted” country list includes Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

It’s important to remember that:

• Whether you or your family member can enter the U.S. depends on a lot of different factors, including the type of visa you applied for and the country you are from, and where you are currently located.
• Every case is different. If you have a question about how this affects you specifically, you should talk to an immigration lawyer.

If you want general information about the travel ban, click here.

If you’re from another country on the travel ban list, click here.

If you’re from one of these countries but you’re inside the U.S., click here.

What are the travel ban’s rules for people from “partially restricted” countries?

If you are from a “partially restricted” country, you generally cannot enter the United States if you are using certain types of visas, unless you qualify for an exception. With other visas, however, you may still be able to enter the United States. This article explains some of the exceptions and special rules that may apply to people from partially restricted countries.

Note that if you are applying for any of the newly barred visas, we do not yet know if the U.S. Department of State will schedule interviews for impacted individuals. If they do, we expect that the visa applications will ultimately be denied. Earlier steps, including the processing of underlying petitions by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), may still take place. 

If you already have a valid visa

The U.S. government has stated that individuals from the listed countries who already have visas and are outside the United States will not have their visas revoked as a result of the travel ban. However, the government has the authority to revoke an individual’s visa for other reasons. If you are concerned about traveling on your valid visa, you should consult an immigration lawyer for specific advice.

If you applied for refugee resettlement

Earlier this year, before this travel ban was put in place, the President of the United States suspended the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). This meant that refugees were no longer being resettled in the United States.

IRAP sued the U.S. government over this suspension, arguing that it is illegal to pause the USRAP in this way. The lawsuit is ongoing, but at this time, most refugee resettlement applications are still paused. For more information on the status of the USRAP and our lawsuit, see here. 

From what we can tell, this new travel ban does not itself affect refugee processing. If the USRAP suspension is lifted in the future, this travel ban should not prevent you from being resettled to the United States

If you applied for Follow-to-Join Refugee or Asylee Status (I-730s)

Whether the travel ban affects you will depend on whether your family member (the person who applied for you) has refugee status or asylee status.

• If your family member has refugee status: The travel ban itself will not affect you, but the earlier USRAP suspension likely will. There is nothing in the travel ban that says that people who are approved for a Follow-to-Join refugee status visa to join a family member who has refugee status cannot enter the U.S. However, this type of case application is separately paused because these applicants arrive in the United States through the refugee resettlement program (USRAP), which is currently suspended .More information on the refugee suspension can be found here.
• If your family member has asylee status: The travel ban should not apply to you. The ban does not limit an individual’s ability to apply for asylum or refugee status in the U.S. Asylee follow-to-join petitions are still being processed by the U.S. government, and approved applicants should still be able to enter the United States.

If you are the “beneficiary” of an approved Family-Based Petition (I-130)

If you are from a “partially restricted” country and are the beneficiary of an approved family-based petition (I-130), are outside the United States, and do not have a valid visa on June 9, 2025, your ability to travel to the U.S. depends on what type of relationship you have with the person who applied for you and what type of residency status they have. 

• If you are a spouse, minor child (younger than 21), or parent of a U.S. citizen: The travel ban does not apply to you. You should be able to travel to the U.S. if you complete the visa application process and are approved for your visa. However, applicants may be expected to provide additional evidence of their identity and family relationships 

• If you fall into any other category of family petition: You will not be able to travel to the U.S. on your family-based visa. This includes you if you are: 
  • the adult child of a U.S. citizen,
  •  the spouse of an LPR (green card holder), 
  • the child of an LPR, or 
  • the sibling of a U.S. citizen. 

You may still submit your I-130 petition to USCIS if you fall into this category, but you will likely not be issued a visa while the travel ban is in place.

If you are from a partially restricted country and you are a student

This depends on whether or not your visa has already been approved.

• If you’re applying for an F, M, or J student visa: You will not be permitted to travel to the U.S. unless you fall into one of the exceptions to the travel ban.

If you already have a valid F, M, or J visa as of June 9, 2025: You should still be allowed to enter the U.S.

If you are from a partially restricted country and you are a tourist

This depends on whether or not your visa has already been approved.

• If you are outside the U.S. applying for a tourist visa: You will not be permitted to travel to the U.S. unless you fall into one of the exceptions to the travel ban. 

• If you have a valid (approved) visa as of June 9, 2025: The travel ban should not apply to you. However, there may still be risks involved in traveling to the U.S. with a tourist visa even if your visa was approved before June 9, 2025. If you have a valid tourist visa to the U.S., you may wish to consult an immigration attorney before traveling.

Exceptions to the Travel Ban for people from partially restricted countries

U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents

If you are a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident, also called an LPR or Green Card holder, and are currently outside the U.S., this travel ban does not bar you from entering the U.S. However,Customs and Border Protection *CBP) will still have the authority to decide if you can legally enter the United States when you arrive, just as they do with any non-citizens who are seeking to enter the country.

Recipients of Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) for U.S. Government Employees

The proclamation states that the travel ban does not apply to “Special Immigrant Visas for U.S. Government employees.” . 

Some Dual Nationals

If you are from a country on the “partially restricted” travel ban list, but you also have a passport from a country that is not on the list, you might still be allowed to get a visa and enter the U.S. — as long as you use the passport from the country that is not banned.

For example: If you have a passport from Cuba (which is on the list) and also from Brazil (which is not on the list), you may still be allowed to travel to the U.S. if you apply for a visa as a Brazilian citizen.

Some Non-Immigrant Visa Categories

If you are applying for one of the following non-immigrant visa categories, your ability to enter the U.S. will not be affected by this travel ban: 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, or NATO-6. 

In addition, if you are from a partially restricted country and applying for other non-immigrant visas that are not B, F, M, or J visas, you should still be able to enter the U.S.

Athletes and Team Personnel

If you are an athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, and are traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other ‘major sporting event’ you should still be able to enter the U.S.

Adoptions

If a child has been adopted from outside the U.S. and has already been approved for an immigrant visa, they can still get that visa and come to the U.S.

List of exceptions for people from partially restricted countries

I heard there are ways to ask for a case-by-case exception. Is it true? How do I do that?

Yes, there are two case-by-case exceptions to the travel ban. If the Attorney General of the U.S. determines that your travel would advance a national interest of the U.S. related to the Department of Justice (such as being a witness in a criminal case), you may qualify for an exception to the travel ban. Additionally, if the Secretary of State finds that your travel would serve a national interest of the U.S., you may qualify for an exception to the travel ban.

It is not yet clear how to apply for these two case-by case exceptions, or exactly how someone would qualify for one of these exceptions. If more information becomes available, this article will be updated. 

Is this travel ban permanent? How long does a proclamation last?

It is unclear how long the travel ban will last. According to the travel ban, the Secretary of State will submit a report explaining whether any parts of the travel ban should be changed or terminated within 90 days of June 9, 2025. The Secretary of State will then have to submit a similar report every 180 days. It is possible that the terms of the travel ban will change after each of the review periods. At this time, we do not know how long the ban will be in effect, or what changes we may expect in the future. If there are any changes to the travel ban, this article will be updated.