July 31, 2025

Trump’s new travel ban and how it impacts applicants

President Donald Trump has signed a new travel ban affecting 19 countries. It blocks or limits U.S. visas for millions of people; travel from 12 countries will be fully stopped, while 7 others will face partial restrictions. If you’re from one of these countries or have family or workers who are, here’s what the new rules mean, which visas are affected, and who might still get exceptions.

What makes it different from previous bans?

The first travel ban, often called the “Muslim Ban,” placed different levels of visa restrictions on various countries. Some countries faced a complete ban on all types of visas, while others had lighter limits. For example, the version approved by the Supreme Court blocked all visas for people from Chad, only nonimmigrant visas for people from North Korea, and just tourist visas for certain Venezuelan government officials and their families.

Trump’s order puts the affected countries into two groups: 12 countries with a full travel ban, and 7 with limited visa restrictions. Here’s what that means:

Countries with a Full Ban

People from these 12 countries cannot enter the U.S. on any type of visa — this includes tourist, student, work, and family-based visas:

• Afghanistan
• Myanmar (Burma)
• Chad
• Republic of Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Libya
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen

Countries with Partial Restrictions

Seven countries face limited visa restrictions. Citizens from these countries can no longer get immigrant visas or certain types of nonimmigrant visas, including:

• B-1/B-2 (tourist and business)
• F, M, and J (student and exchange visitor)

These countries are:

• Burundi
• Cuba
• Laos
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela

There are many concerns about the travel ban and what it means for the future. With just one order, nearly 6% of the world’s population is now barred from getting U.S. visas. This has major social, legal, and economic effects. Banning people just because of where they were born goes against basic ideas of fairness and American values. Instead of making the country safer, this ban risks separating families and weakening the principles the U.S. stands for.

Follow Bailey Immigration for news on Immigration changes and USCIS announcements. Contact us at 503-224-0950 to see if you qualify for an Immigration benefit.