On January 20, 2025, the president issued an executive order, “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” which directed the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Director of National Intelligence to compile a list of countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries” within 60 days.
On June 4, 2025, the president issued a follow-up executive order, “Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” which fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals of 12 countries and partially restricts and limits the entry of nationals of an additional seven countries.
Nationals of the following countries are subject to full suspension of entry: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Nationals of the following countries are subject to partial suspension of entry (entry as an immigrant and non-immigrant on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is suspended and validity of other nonimmigrant visas will be reduced to the extent permitted by law): Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Lawful permanent residents (i.e., green card holders), dual citizens, and immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are among the exceptions to these restrictions. Exceptions may also be granted when in the national interest.
This order will take effect on June 9, 2025. Nationals of implicated countries seeking to enter the U.S. should consult with immigration counsel to discuss the implications of these new restrictions.