I just recorded a short explainer and read the actual proclamations so you don’t have to. Not a lawyer, I'm just summarizing what the text says and what it *means in practice.
What changed in December
- The June 2025 ban covered 19 countries (12 “full” + 7 “partial”).
- The December 2025 proclamation adds 20 more (5 moved to “full”, 15 added as “partial”) and also blocks entry on Palestinian Authority–issued travel documents.
- Effective: Jan 1, 2026
Key “gotchas” people miss
- The ban is written to apply to people who are outside the U.S. on the effective date and don’t already have a valid visa. It also states no visas issued before the effective date are revoked, but traveling is still risky if you’re in a grey area.
- “Partial” isn’t mild: it suspends immigrant visas and also suspends B-1/B-2 + F/M/J for listed countries (and can shorten validity for other nonimmigrant visas).
- Turkmenistan is a weird one: the December update lifts the nonimmigrant suspension but still suspends immigrant entry.
Who’s on the list (as of the December expansion)
Full restrictions: Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen + Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria + (upgraded) Laos, Sierra Leone + Palestinian Authority travel documents.
Full restriction means the entry of nationals of these countries as immigrants and nonimmigrants is suspended, with the exceptions previously mentioned
Partial restrictions: Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cuba, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Togo, Turkmenistan (immigrant-only), Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Partial restrictions means the entry of nationals of these countries as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is hereby suspended
Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals to the extent permitted by law.
Interesting fact (population):
If you sum country populations, the list covers 1.015 billion people
- Africa countries: 694.1M
- Asia countries: 269.1M
- North America (inc. Caribbean): 23.0M
- South America: 28.8M
- Oceania: 0.1M
If you’re affected: check whether you’ll be applying at a consulate (most impacted), whether you have dual citizenship, and whether a national-interest exception might apply.
Official texts:
December proclamation: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/