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On Dec. 16, 2025, the White House issued a presidential proclamation expanding restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals into the United States, advancing a policy framework rooted in national security considerations and data-driven assessments of vetting infrastructure in foreign countries. This development represents an extension of earlier travel and entry limitation policies, including Proclamation 10949, issued on June 4, 2025, which established broad entry restrictions on nationals from 19 countries.
Policy Scope and Expansion
Under the December 2025 proclamation, the United States continues and enhances entry limitations on some nations, based on criteria such as deficient civil documentation systems, lack of reliable law-enforcement cooperation, high visa overstay rates, and ongoing security challenges in certain countries. The expanded restrictions include the following elements:
- Continuation of full entry restrictions: The proclamation reaffirms and continues full restrictions on nationals from the 12 high-risk countries identified under Proclamation 10949: Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. These designations reflect long-standing concerns regarding screening deficiencies, security risks, and limited government cooperation with U.S. authorities.
- Addition of new countries under full restrictions: The December proclamation subjects nationals of five additional countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria—to full entry restrictions, based on updated assessments of civil documentation challenges, terrorist activity, and overstay data. The new proclamation also subjects individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents to full entry limitations, an expansion which reflects security concerns in areas with compromised vetting capacity.
- Transition from partial to full restrictions: The new proclamation sees nationals of two countries formerly under partial restrictions—Laos and Sierra Leone—subject to full suspension of entry, based overstay data and other considerations.
- Partial restrictions on additional countries: The updated proclamation imposes partial entry restrictions on 15 additional countries, including Angola, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, and others. Partial restrictions generally limit specific categories of visas (e.g., tourist or student visas), while preserving discretionary adjudications and case-by-case assessments for other categories.
- Retention and adjustment of prior restrictions: Several countries originally under partial restrictions—Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela—remain subject to limited entry provisions. The White House lifted non-immigrant visa limits on Turkmenistan, previously under partial restrictions, due to productive engagement; still, immigrant entry remains suspended for Turkmen nationals.
Exceptions and Waivers
The proclamation includes specified exceptions for U.S. lawful permanent residents, holders of valid visas issued prior to effective dates, diplomats, certain categories of essential travelers (including athletes), and individuals whose entry is clearly in the national interest. Additionally, case-by-case waivers remain available for extraordinary circumstances, though family-based immigrant visa exceptions have been narrowed to address concerns about fraud risk.
Rationale and Administration Perspective
The White House frames the expanded entry restrictions as necessary to "protect the security of the United States" by preventing the admission of foreign nationals whose identities and backgrounds cannot be reliably verified due to systemic deficiencies in civil documentation, overstay trends, and limited information-sharing mechanisms from foreign governments. The proclamation notes that these measures and others may be a path forward for foreign cooperation on vetting and security protocols, while safeguarding domestic security interests.
Contextual Developments
This proclamation follows policy measures from earlier in the year. Those measures tightened vetting and suspended asylum and certain benefit processing for nationals from high-risk countries, following security incidents involving foreign nationals. The policies, taken together, may represent a broader strategy aimed at integrating national security considerations directly into immigration policy and adjudicatory practices across agencies.
Practical Implications for Stakeholders
- Travelers: Nationals of fully restricted countries may face suspension of both immigrant and non-immigrant entry unless they qualify under specific exceptions or obtain waivers. Those from partially restricted countries may encounter heightened scrutiny and limited visa validity.
- Employers and Educational Institutions: Organizations hiring or hosting foreign nationals may wish to reassess timelines for visa processing and international mobility planning, particularly for student, work, and exchange visitor categories.
- Compliance and Legal Advisers: Immigration counsel and compliance professionals may need to update internal policies and client advisories to reflect the expanded scope of restrictions and emerging guidance from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State on implementation.
Conclusion
The December 2025 expansion of U.S. entry restrictions represents a shift in the intersection between immigration policy and national security enforcement. By broadening the list of fully and partially restricted countries and refining exceptions, the administration seeks to reduce security risk exposures while preserving targeted avenues for essential travel. Organizations and individuals affected by these changes should seek up-to-date guidance to help facilitate compliance and effective planning in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.
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