On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a new Presidential Proclamation titled: Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States. This proclamation will take effect at 12:01 a.m. EST on January 1, 2026 and updates and expands the Presidential Proclamation issued on June 4, 2025, which remains in effect until December 31, 2025.

• The new proclamation continues to fully suspend entry into the United States for citizens and nationals of twelve (12) counties on the basis of both immigrant and non-immigrant visas: Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It also expands existing partial restrictions to full travel restrictions for citizens and nationals of Laos and Sierra Leone and imposes full travel restrictions on citizens and nationals of five (5) additional countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan*, and Syria—as well as on individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.
   
• The proclamation continues to partially suspend entry into the United States for citizens and nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela. It also imposes similar partial restrictions on citizens and nationals of fifteen (15) additional countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Individuals from these 19 countries are barred from entering the United States on immigrant visas and on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas, but remain eligible for other nonimmigrant visa categories, such as H-1B.
   
• The new proclamation changes the travel restrictions for citizens of Turkmenistan, whose entry on the basis of immigrant visas only will be suspended. They will be able to enter the U.S. on the basis of a valid non-immigrant visa.
   
• The revised entry restrictions that are outlined in the proclamation only apply to citizens and nationals of 39 designated countries and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents who are outside of the U.S. and do not hold valid visa stamps on January 1, 2026. Note that this proclamation does not revoke previously issued visa stamps, which remain valid.
   
• The restrictions do not apply to citizens/nationals of the 39 designated countries or Palestinian Authority (PA) travel document holders who are:
  • Inside the United States on the applicable effective date of this proclamation; or
  • Outside the United States on January 1, 2026, but with a visa stamp that is valid on January 1, 2026; or
  • Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders); or
  • Entering the U.S. in A‑1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO‑2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6 status, or
  • Dual citizens or nationals of the 39 countries and holders of PA travel documents who travel on the passport issued by a non-designated country. (This assumes that the U.S. visa stamp is in the non-designated country’s passport and that all other required documents are valid.)
     
• Additional exceptions are made for an athlete or member of an athletic team, including the coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State. Further narrowly defined exceptions also remain available on a case-by-case basis.

If you are from one of the designated countries, please consult with an ISSS advisor before planning any international travel.

Please note that we are still processing applications for immigration benefits (e.g.: OPT, CPT, H-1B extensions) for citizens and nationals from the designated countries.

We will continue to monitor developments and will update this announcement as needed. We remain committed to supporting Temple University's international students, scholars and employees.

* Separately, South Sudanese passport holders were subject to a Department of State visa issuance ban.