U.S. Broadens Visa Restrictions for Nationals of Nearly 40 Countries Citing Security Concerns

What Changed

Effective January 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of State began enforcing expanded visa restrictions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, which the administration says is meant to protect national security by tightening entry for nationals of countries whose governments provide inadequate information-sharing, identity verification, or security cooperation with U.S. authorities.

The restrictions fall into two tiers. Full suspension of essentially all nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance applies to nationals of 19 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, along with Palestinians traveling on Palestinian Authority travel documents. A partial suspension covers 19 more countries — Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, the Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe — limited to B-1/B-2 visitor visas, F/M/J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas. Turkmenistan faces suspension of immigrant visas only.

The restrictions apply only to people outside the United States who did not already hold a valid visa as of the effective date; existing visas were not revoked. The State Department lists limited exceptions, including for diplomatic and official travel, certain ethnic or religious minorities, dual nationals traveling on an unrestricted passport, holders of Special Immigrant Visas, athletes and support staff for major sporting events, and lawful permanent residents.

What This Means for Applicants

Analysis: This is one of the broadest visa restriction actions in recent memory, and its structure — full bans for some countries, narrower carve-outs for others — mirrors past "travel ban" style proclamations that have drawn legal challenges. Nationals of listed countries should not assume the restriction is temporary or symbolic: consular officers are directed to refuse qualifying applications outright rather than simply delaying them.

The practical stakes are highest for people who don't yet hold a visa and were counting on applying soon — a pending job offer, university acceptance, or family reunification case in one of these countries could stall indefinitely with no announced review date. The dual-national and minority-group exceptions are worth checking closely, since they could allow an alternative path where the primary nationality is restricted. Because this is a presidential proclamation rather than routine agency guidance, it can also be modified, narrowed, or expanded by executive action with little advance notice — so affected applicants should watch for updates rather than treat the current list as final.

This is factual reporting on a State Department and White House policy action, not legal advice. Anyone affected by these restrictions should consult a qualified immigration attorney about their specific case.

Source

Original — US Department of State

This is original commentary based on the source below, not legal advice. Confirm details with the official source.