On June 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation reinstating and expanding his administration’s travel ban, effective Monday at 12:01 am Eastern Daylight Time on June 9, 2025. The proclamation imposes a complete visa suspension on citizens from 12 countries and partial restrictions on citizens from seven others, citing national security concerns. These measures are expected to impact immigration processing, international mobility, and United States visa operations for affected individuals and employers.
During his prior administration, President Trump implemented travel restrictions aimed at preventing national security threats, which were upheld by the Supreme Court. Citing the signed Executive Order 14161, issued on January 20, 2025 as the basis for this ban, the Trump administration has reinstated and expanded the travel ban.
Following a review led by the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and the Director of National Intelligence, the Trump Administration identified a number of countries as having significant deficiencies in their screening, vetting, and information-sharing practices. As a result, the new proclamation imposes a full visa suspension on nationals from 12 countries and enacts heightened restrictions on nationals from seven others, citing ongoing national security concerns. The impacted countries and corresponding limitations are outlined below:
Countries affected
See table below for the countries affected and the scope of the visa suspension per country.
| Country | Visa Banned (Exceptions below) |
| Afghanistan | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Burundi | All immigrant visas and nonimmigrant B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas suspended |
| Burma (Myanmar) | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Chad | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Cuba | All immigrant visas and nonimmigrant B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas suspended |
| Equatorial Guinea | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Eritrea | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Haiti | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Iran | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Laos | All immigrant and nonimmigrant B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas suspended |
| Libya | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Republic of Congo | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Sierra Leone | All immigrant and nonimmigrant B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas suspended |
| Somalia | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Sudan | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
| Togo | All immigrant and nonimmigrant B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas suspended |
| Turkmenistan | All immigrant and nonimmigrant B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas suspended |
| Venezuela | All immigrant and nonimmigrant B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas suspended |
| Yemen | All immigrant and nonimmigrant visas suspended |
Exceptions
The suspension and limitation on entry does not apply to the following individuals:
National interest exception
The proclamation also provides a national interest exception mechanism to the visa suspension. Specifically the proclamation states that the Attorney General may exercise discretion and exempt certain individuals from the travel ban if the travel by the individual would advance a critical United States national interest involving the Department of Justice, including when individuals must be present to participate in criminal proceedings as witnesses. The Secretary of State may also exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis and exempt certain individuals from the travel ban if the travel would serve a United States national interest. Currently, it is unclear how citizens can apply for the national interest exception, but there will likely be a formal submission process through the United States consulates. We anticipate the State Department will provide further guidance on how impacted individuals can apply for a national interest exception.
The travel ban announced by the administration is scheduled to take effect on June 9, 2025, at 12:01 AM EST and will materially affect the ability of noncitizens from the 19 designated countries listed above to enter the United States. The administration has ordered the relevant agencies to provide assessment within 90 days and every 180 days thereafter, based on which he may continue, terminate, modify, or supplement the travel ban.
As currently articulated, the proclamation applies exclusively to foreign nationals from the designated countries who are (1) outside the United States as of 12:01 AM EST on June 9, 2025, and (2) who do not possess a valid visa at that time. The text of the proclamation suggests that citizens from the restricted countries who have a valid visa may continue to travel internationally and return to the United States. However, due to the ambiguous language of the proclamation with respect to foreign nationals outside the United States who are currently holding valid visas and who fall under the enumerated restrictions, it is advisable that such individuals return to the United States before the effective date of the proclamation. Additionally, citizens from the impacted countries who are currently in the United States and who hold a valid visa, it is strongly recommended that you do not travel internationally until the administration provides further guidance.
Employers with employees who are nationals of the affected countries are urged to promptly evaluate the potential impact of the ban and to implement appropriate measures to mitigate operational disruptions. This includes advising affected employees to not travel internationally at this time, and urging the return of those currently abroad to return to the United States before the restrictions go into effect.
Vialto will continue to monitor the situation and provide further guidance as it becomes available.
For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:
Manish Daftari
Partner
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