Back
Introduction
At the beginning of June, President Trump released 2 proclamations that will limit visa issuance for entrance into the United States. The first proclamation issues restrictions on the entry to the US of nationals from 19 countries whose vetting and screening information was deemed to be inadequate.
The second proclamation, the “Harvard Proclamation”, will ban visa issuance for foreign nationals wanting to enter the US under F, M or J status to attend Harvard University.
The restrictions imposed by the Proclamations aim to encourage foreign governments to cooperate with US vetting and screening expectations, advance foreign policy, and protect national security and counterterrorism objectives.
Impact
Medium
What has changed?
In his Executive Order of January 20th 2025, President Trump directed the Secretary of State in coordination with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence to identify countries whose vetting and screening processes are deemed insufficiently adequate as to warrant a full or partial suspension of the admission of nationals from those countries into the US, in order to protect US national security and public safety interests.
After completing this process and reviewing the findings, President Trump has issued the proclamation to fully restrict and limit the entry of nationals from the following 12 countries identified as having inadequate vetting and screening information: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. This proclamation will apply the restriction to the issuance of all immigrant and nonimmigration visa applications for nationals of these 12 countries.
The proclamation further determines to partially restrict and limit entry of nationals from 7 countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. These restrictions will apply to the issuance of immigration visas and B, F, M and J nonimmigration visas.
The proclamation is effective from June 9th 2025. Within 90 days of the proclamation and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit a report assessing whether any suspension or limitation should be continued, terminated, modified or supplemented.
President Trump’s proclamation Issued on the 4th June 2025, will ban the issuance of F, M and J visas for foreign nationals intending to participate in a course of study or a visitor exchange program at Harvard University and is expected to remain in place for at least 6 months. The proclamation also permits the Secretary of State to determine whether any existing F, M or J visa holders currently attending Harvard should have their visas revoked. Exceptions to the visa issuance ban can be made for individuals whose entrance is considered to be of national interest.
No later than 90 days from the date of the proclamation, the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security shall jointly make a recommendation on whether an extension of the suspension is recommended.
Who is affected?
The entry restrictions detailed above for nationals of the 19 countries identified will apply from June 9th 2025.
According to the proclamation, no immigration or nonimmigration visa issued before the effective date of the proclamation shall be revoked nor shall the proclamation apply to individuals who have been granted asylum by the US.
The Proclamation relating to Harvard is in effect from the 4th June 2025 and will apply to any foreign national into the United States as a nonimmigrant to pursue a course of study at Harvard University or to participate in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University. That suspension and limitation shall expire, unless extended, 6 months later.
What you need to do
For further information on travel bans and visa issuance suspension for the US, please contact the Sterling Lexicon immigration team at [email protected]
