President Donald Trump has approved a new Proclamation that further tightens restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals into the United States, with 15 additional countries now placed under partial travel limitations.
The decision was taken on Tuesday as part of broader efforts to strengthen US travel and security standards.
The newly affected countries are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Proclamation maintains full travel restrictions on the initial 12 countries previously designated as high risk. These include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
It also introduces full restrictions on five more countries following recent security assessments. These are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, as well as individuals using travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously under partial restrictions, have now been moved to the full restriction category. Partial restrictions remain in place for Burundi, Cuba, Togo and Venezuela.
The Proclamation removes non-immigrant visa bans on Turkmenistan, with US authorities citing improved cooperation with Washington, while restrictions on immigrant visas for its citizens remain unchanged.
Exemptions apply to lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, specific visa categories such as diplomats and athletes, and individuals whose entry is deemed to serve US national interests.
