New Presidential Proclamation: Travel Bans and Other Visa Stamping Restrictions – June 2025

As expected, President Trump has released a new Proclamation supporting his January 20, 2025 Executive Order 14161 (“Protecting the U.S. from Foreign Terrorist and other National Security and Public Safety Threats”). In an effort to withstand legal challenges, the President asserts that he took into account foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism goals, as well as each country’s terrorist presence, visa overstay rate, and its cooperation in accepting its removable nationals. The President’s Proclamation applies to foreign nationals outside the U.S. without a valid visa beginning Monday, June 9th, 2025 at 12:01 am EDT. Visas issued prior to the effective date will not be revoked but are subject to the restrictions outlined below.

• Full Travel Ban: For foreign nationals from the following countries, there is a full suspension on entry into the U.S. regardless of immigrant or nonimmigrant visa class. For foreign nationals currently present in the U.S., they must NOT depart the U.S. or they will be denied entry to the U.S. upon return beginning June 9th and until further notice.
Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen

• Partial Travel Ban: Foreign nationals from the countries listed below will be denied entry if they seek to enter the U.S. on an immigrant visa or a nonimmigrant visa in the B-1, B-2, F, M, or J visa class. Foreign nationals from these countries holding other visa statuses (such as H- 1B and L-1) should be permitted to travel without restriction; however, they should expect reduced duration on issuance of new nonimmigrant visa stamps.
Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela

• Future restrictions on entry may include Egypt and/or other countries following recommendations from the Attorney General, DHS, DOS, and Director of National Intelligence. All foreign nationals are encouraged to closely follow possible updates to travel restrictions.

In addition to discretionary waivers granted by the Attorney General and Secretary of State case by case basis to serve or advance matters of national interest, the travel ban will not include nor apply to the following individuals:

• Lawful permanent residents of the U.S.;

• Dual nationals traveling on a passport from a country not subject to the ban;

• Athletes, coaches, and immediate family traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event;

• Immediate relatives traveling on certain family-sponsored immigrant visas;

• Individuals granted asylum, admitted as refugees, or granted withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture;

• Immigrant visas for ethnic or religious minorities facing persecution in Iran;

• Certain diplomats and foreign government officials;

• Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders; and

• Special Immigrant Visas for U.S. government employees.

The new country-specific travel ban is in addition to other recent directives issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  U.S. Embassies and Consulates have been directed to pause the scheduling of F, M, and J visa appointments for ALL students and exchange visitors while it considers expanding social media vetting and other security measures. While previously scheduled appointments for these visa applicants will proceed, these directives are expected to result in longer visa appointment wait times, visa denials, and other delays overall.

Secretary Rubio has also announced efforts to “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields”, as well as revocation or visa refusals for foreign nationals engaging in “censorship of protected expression in the United States.” These efforts are in addition to the highly publicized targeting of foreign students at Harvard University and other institutions of higher education which have resulted in numerous federal lawsuits.

In sum, all foreign nationals, regardless of nationality and U.S. visa status, are strongly encouraged to stay apprised of immigration-related news, as policy continues to change rapidly and without notice. All foreign nationals present in the U.S. are reminded to closely monitor their I-94 admission records, update their personal change of address on Form AR-11 within 10 days of a move, and ensure compliance with new federal registration obligations. We also ask that you continue to share your employees’ experiences with us as trends and new policies continue to develop.