This article was last updated on August 27, 2026

Summary

In June 2025, the U.S. government announced a “travel ban” that prevents people from certain countries from getting visas and entering the United States. They said this ban was for “national security” reasons. In December 2025, the U.S. government updated the travel ban by adding new countries to the travel ban list and removing some of the previous exceptions to the ban. These changes went into effect on January 1, 2026.

In January 2026, the U.S. government announced a separate policy to pause giving immigrant visas to people from certain countries. Some of the countries on this list were also already on the travel ban list. The government said this pause was because people from these countries might be a financial burden to the United States. This is called being a “public charge.” On August 21, 2026, a federal court in CLINIC v. Rubio ruled that this “public charge” immigrant visa pause was illegal. You can find more information about this lawsuit here. 

Here are some of the most important things to know about the travel ban and the immigrant visa pause:

• The “national security” travel ban is still in effect. 
• The “public charge” immigrant visa pause is not in effect because a federal court said it was illegal. The government can still appeal this decision. 
• If you are from a country on both the “national security” travel ban list and the “public charge” immigrant visa pause list, you still cannot receive a visa unless you qualify for a travel ban exception.
• 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.
• Every case is different. If you have a question about how this affects you specifically, you should talk to an immigration lawyer.

This article contains general information about the “national security” travel ban and the “public charge” immigrant visa pause. When we say you are “from” a country, we mean that you hold that country’s nationality. If you were born in a country mentioned here, but you are not a national of that country, this information does not apply to you.

 If you want more detailed information about what the travel ban could mean for you:

• If you are outside the United States… 
  • And you are from Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, or you have a Palestinian Authority-issued travel document, click here.
  • And you are from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Zambia, or Zimbabwe, click here.
• If you are inside the United States, click here.

What is the travel ban?

The travel ban was announced through a proclamation issued by the President of the United States. It said that many people from certain countries would not be allowed to enter the U.S. starting on June 9, 2025 for “national security” reasons. 

On December 16, 2025, the President issued a new proclamation that announced updates to the travel ban and how it works. These changes went into effect on January 1, 2026. The travel ban is still in place.

What countries are affected by the travel ban?

There are two groups of countries listed in the travel ban. On January 1, 2026, the list of affected countries will change.

• The first group is “fully restricted” countries. These countries have much stricter rules for entry. If you are from one of these countries, you generally cannot enter the United States, no matter what type of visa you are using, unless you qualify for an exception.

Starting on January 1, 2026, the “fully restricted” country list includes: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. It will also include individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents.

• The second group is “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. 
  
  Starting on January 1, 2026, the “partially restricted” country list includes: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Citizens of Turkmenistan will face different restrictions from the rest of the countries on the list.

Am I also affected by the travel ban if I am from a country on this list, but I am currently inside the United States?

You should not be affected by the travel ban itself, but there are other new updates that could impact your immigration application or status. You can visit this article to learn more about what the travel ban means for people currently in the United States.

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

It is unclear how long the travel ban will last. According to the December 2025 presidential proclamation, the Secretary of State will submit a report explaining whether any parts of the travel ban should be changed or ended within 180 days of December 16, 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 again after each of the review periods. At this time, we do not know how long the ban will last, or what changes may happen in the future. If there are any changes to the travel ban, this article will be updated.

What is the 2026 Pause on Issuing Immigrant Visas?

In January 2026, the U.S. government announced that it was pausing giving all immigrant visas to people who are from the following countries:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

Some of the countries on this list were also already on the travel ban list. The government said this separate visa pause was because people from these countries might be a financial burden to the United States. This is called being a “public charge.” 

On August 21, 2026, a federal court in CLINIC v. Rubio ruled that this immigrant visa pause was illegal. The government can still appeal this decision. You can find more information about this lawsuit here.

When this policy was in place, it would impact you if you applied for an immigrant visa with a passport from a country listed above. You could still apply and attend visa interviews, but the government said they would not approve your immigrant visa while the pause was happening.  This policy did not impact you if you applied for a nonimmigrant visa (like a tourist visa). Now that a court has said the policy is illegal, we do not know yet exactly what the government will do with impacted cases, but the pause should no longer apply. 

Important: If you are from a country on both the “national security” travel ban list and the “public charge” immigrant visa pause list, you still cannot receive a visa unless you qualify for a travel ban exception.