The United States has significantly widened its travel restriction regime, introducing partial entry limitations on 15 additional countries, many of them in Africa, while imposing full travel bans on several others. The expansion follows a new presidential proclamation aimed at tightening immigration controls and strengthening national security screening.
Nigeria is among the newly added countries subjected to partial travel restrictions, joining 14 others affected by the latest measures. Under the framework established by the administration’s earlier ban in June 2025, “partial restrictions” generally involve the suspension of all immigrant visas—those that lead to lawful permanent residency or Green Cards—as well as limitations on certain non-immigrant visas. These typically include visas for tourism, business, education, vocational training, and cultural exchange, specifically B-1, B-2, F, M, and J categories.
The countries newly placed under partial travel limitations are:
Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In addition to expanding the partial restriction list, the proclamation maintains full travel restrictions on the original 12 countries previously designated as high-risk. These include Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The administration also announced full travel bans on five additional countries following recent security assessments. These newly affected nations are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. The proclamation further extends full restrictions to individuals traveling with documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. Meanwhile, two countries—Laos and Sierra Leone—which were previously under partial limitations, have now been moved to the full restriction category.
Partial travel restrictions remain in place for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela, according to the proclamation. At the same time, the U.S. government eased certain measures on Turkmenistan, lifting bans on non-immigrant visas after citing improved cooperation with American authorities. However, immigrant visa restrictions for Turkmen nationals remain in force.
Despite the sweeping measures, the proclamation outlines several exemptions. Lawful permanent residents of the United States, individuals who already hold valid visas, and travelers falling under specific visa categories—such as diplomats, athletes, and individuals whose entry is deemed to serve U.S. national interests—are not subject to the restrictions.
The expanded travel policy has drawn global attention, particularly due to its heavy focus on African nations. While U.S. officials argue the measures are based on security evaluations and compliance with information-sharing standards, critics have raised concerns about their humanitarian, economic, and diplomatic consequences.
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