Headlines:
President Expands Full and Partial Journey Ban Checklist – President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation increasing journey restrictions. The brand new proclamation applies to people who’re outdoors of america as of January 1, 2026, and should not have a sound visa.
President Suspends Variety Visa Program After Shootings –President Trump suspended the Variety Immigrant Visa Program (inexperienced card lottery) following shootings at Brown College and of a Massachusetts Institute of Expertise professor by a Portuguese nationwide who immigrated to america in 2017 beneath that program.
USCIS Clarifies Necessities for Skilled Athletes as World Cup and Olympics Occasions Loom – As america prepares for upcoming World Cup and Olympics occasions in 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers introduced new coverage steering to deal with the Division of Labor’s adoption of the Overseas Labor Software Gateway system and its impact on sure immigrant visa petitions filed on behalf {of professional} athletes.
Particulars:
President Expands Full and Partial Journey Ban Checklist
On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation increasing journey restrictions introduced earlier this 12 months. The brand new proclamation applies to people who’re outdoors of america as of January 1, 2026, and should not have a sound visa. Beneath are highlights.
Full Ban
Added to the unique checklist of nations named within the earlier ban (Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen) are the brand new international locations beneath the “full” ban (Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Syria) and people holding Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed journey paperwork.
Partial Restrictions
The proclamation additionally continues “partial” restrictions for immigrants (inexperienced card candidates) and nonimmigrants (short-term visa candidates) within the customer/vacationer class (B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2), pupil classes (F and M), and change customer class (J) for a number of international locations (Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuela, and Turkmenistan (nonimmigrant Turkmenistan nationals on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas now not face any journey restrictions, however entry to america of Turkmenistan nationals as immigrants stays suspended).
New international locations with “partial” restrictions (suspension of entry into america of immigrants and nonimmigrants within the B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J classifications) embody Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Each Full and Partial
International locations on each the “full” and “partial” suspension lists will likely be periodically reviewed each 180 days beneath the phrases of the Proclamation to find out if any of the suspensions or limitations imposed needs to be continued, terminated, modified, or supplemented. Employers sponsoring people from these international locations, and visa candidates from these international locations, ought to intently monitor modifications in federal immigration coverage that will enable for future modifications to their U.S. visa and entry eligibility.
Exceptions
Important exceptions to those journey restrictions embody:
- Lawful everlasting residents of america (current inexperienced card holders);
- Current nonimmigrant (short-term) visa holders;
- Twin nationals of a delegated nation touring on a passport of a non-designated nation (for instance, a twin nationwide of the UK and Chad could possibly journey utilizing their UK passport);
- Diplomats holding A/G/NATO visas;
- Athletes or members of an athletic crew (together with coaches and rapid kin) touring for the World Cup, Olympics, or different main sporting occasions designated by the Secretary of State;
- Particular Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders (now not together with Afghan SIV holders);
- Ethnic and non secular minorities in Iran;
- People granted asylum;
- People whose entry is decided to be within the nationwide curiosity involving the Division of Justice as decided by the Lawyer Basic;
- People whose entry serves the U.S. nationwide curiosity as decided by the Secretary of State; and
- People whose entry is decided to be within the nationwide curiosity involving the Secretary of Homeland Safety.
As famous above, the proclamation now not consists of exceptions for Afghans who qualify for the SIV program. Moreover, the proclamation removes exceptions beforehand within the June journey ban for people with family-based immigrant visas and adoption visas. Nationwide Curiosity Exceptions may be attainable, though the Division of State has not launched an implementation coverage.
Practitioners advise these affected by this proclamation who’re presently outdoors of america to contemplate planning to return instantly. See additionally the associated White Home reality sheet.
President Suspends Variety Visa Program After Shootings
On December 18, 2025, President Trump suspended the Variety Immigrant Visa Program, typically known as the “inexperienced card lottery,” following shootings at Brown College and of a Massachusetts Institute of Expertise professor by a Portuguese nationwide who immigrated to america in 2017 beneath that program and obtained authorized everlasting residence (beforehand, he had been in america on a pupil visa however left faculty).
“At President Trump’s course, I’m instantly directing [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] to pause the DV1 program to make sure no extra People are harmed by this disastrous program,” Secretary of Homeland Safety Kristi Noem mentioned in a publish on X.
USCIS Clarifies Necessities for Skilled Athletes as World Cup and Olympics Occasions Loom
On December 18, 2025, as america prepares for upcoming World Cup and Olympics occasions in 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers (USCIS) introduced new coverage steering to deal with the Division of Labor’s (DOL) adoption of the Overseas Labor Software Gateway (FLAG) system and its impact on sure immigrant visa petitions filed on behalf {of professional} athletes.
The steering:
- Supplies an outline of the FLAG system and describes the brand new labor certification-related documentation that have to be submitted with the Kind I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Staff);
- Explains that labor certifications for skilled athletes that have been filed utilizing the FLAG system now not comprise the minimal job necessities for the supplied place; and
- Clarifies that if an immigrant petition for an expert athlete incorporates a labor certification obtained by way of the FLAG system, USCIS could concern a request for proof to acquire the minimal job necessities if that data shouldn’t be contained within the supporting documentation submitted with the Kind I-140.
Agency within the Information
Cyrus Mehta was quoted by the Occasions of India in ‘Matches the Sample’: Former Immigration Official Says Trump May Completely Finish Inexperienced Card Program as Lottery Stops. The article quoted Mr. Mehta’s “X” publish: “One individual’s unhealthy actions shouldn’t be used to close down all the Variety Visa program that’s mandated by Congress. The Brown College shootings weren’t because of the visa program however primarily based on the motivations of a person. The President has prior to now sadly attacked the DV program as a result of it brings folks from ‘shithole’ international locations to the U.S. The alleged killer on this case is from Portugal, which hardly qualifies from among the many international locations that Trump has denigrated. The administration shouldn’t be utilizing these unlucky killings as a pretext to close down immigration applications it disfavors.”
