The Trump Travel Ban Targets Nationals of 43 Countries — Visa Lawyer’s Blog — March 17, 2020
A new article published in the New York Times reveals the 43 countries that are reportedly included in President Trump’s new travel ban, expected to be released by executive order on Friday March 21st.
According to anonymous government sources, the White House is considering a draft proposal establishing partial or full suspensions on entry to the United States for countries falling into three different tiers: red, orange, and yellow.
The “red” list of countries includes nationals whose entry to the United States would be barred for a temporary period that is yet to be determined by the U.S. government including:
- Afghanistan
- Bhutan
- Cuba
- Iran
- Libya
- North Korea
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Venezuela and
- Yemen
The draft proposal also includes an “orange” list of countries whose nationals would not be barred from the United States, but who must be properly vetted and screened at mandatory in-person visa interviews before gaining admission to the United States.
This list includes:
- Belarus
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Laos
- Myanmar
- Pakistan
- Russia
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan and
- Turkmenistan
Finally, a “yellow” list identifies countries that have certain security deficiencies which requires them to make changes to become compliant with government demands within a period of 60 days, or face being added to the “red” or “orange” lists.
These countries include:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Chad
- Republic of Congo
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Dominica
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gambia
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Kitts and Nevis
- Lucia
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Vanuatu and
- Zimbabwe
The Bottom Line
While the President’s official travel ban has not yet been released, this report provides important insights for nationals who may soon be impacted by his executive order.
It is not yet clear whether the travel ban will cause travel disruptions for existing U.S. visa holders and lawful permanent residents from the affected countries. For that reason, if you are a national from any of these countries, it is recommended for you to seek the advice of an immigration attorney as soon as possible.
Visa holders currently outside of the U.S. may be wise to return to the United States as soon as possible to avoid being barred from re-entering the country.
It is also important to consider that the draft proposal was developed by the State Department and provided to the White House for final determinations. The White House will likely recommend further changes before the official travel ban is released to the public.
For more information about the travel ban, please click here.
The Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick is carefully monitoring these developments and will provide more details as soon as they are released by the White House.
Contact Us. If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-483-4549 or call 619-819-9204.
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