US extends travel ban, Nigeria now included on “restricted” list
- Citizens of 39 countries are now either banned or partially restricted from entering the US as of 1 January 2026
- Nigerian nationals are not banned, but they will be subject to restrictions or limits
- Current students from the affected countries are protected unless they leave the US, in which case they would no longer be exempt
The Trump administration has announced an expanded list of countries whose nationals – including students applying for F, M, and J visas – will be banned from entering the United States as visitors or immigrants as of 1 January 2026. The government has also added 15 more countries to its “partially restricted and limited” list.
The extended travel ban will affect both prospective students on the banned/restricted lists as well as current students who leave the country. Otherwise, current student visa holders are exempt.
As with President Trump’s previous travel bans, the given rationale is that the expanded list is justified by the need to protect the US and its citizens. A secondary reason provided is that nationals from those on the most recent banned and/or restricted lists have high nonimmigrant visa overstay rates.
The announcement is believed to be a response to the shooting of two National Guard troops on 26 November 2025, allegedly by an Afghan national.
Most of the new countries on the list are in Africa, as shown in the screenshot below from the Washington Post.
The no-entry list as of December 2025
Visitors from the following countries will continue to be banned:
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
The full ban now also expands to:
- Burkina Faso
- Laos
- Mali
- Niger
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
- Syria
Previously, citizens of Laos and Sierra Leone had been subject to restrictions, but they are now prevented from entering altogether.
In addition, President Trump has “also determined to fully restrict and limit the entry of individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority (PA).”
The new ban no longer contains an exemption for Afghans who assisted the US war effort in Afghanistan (2001 to 2021). Those Afghans put themselves in mortal danger to help the US, and there are an estimated 260,000 of them who remain abroad waiting for entry to the US. Some are in third countries, but many remain in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and thus face risks to their freedoms or lives.
Even Afghans who have made it to the US on a Special Immigrant Visa or who are otherwise there legally are fearful that they will be deported.
The restricted entry list as of December 2025
People from Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela will continue to be restricted in their ability to come to the US, as will those from 15 countries that have just been announced:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Côte d ‘Ivoire
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
The inclusion of Nigeria on the restricted list will be especially problematic for many US colleges and universities. Nigeria sent 22,850 students in 2024, up +9% over 2023, and is now the ninth largest source of students for US institutions.
Lists are only part of US government reaction to shooting
Before the latest travel ban announcement this week, the US government announced that it would review the immigration status of lawful permanent residents and Green Card holders who had come from 19 countries that were restricted in June.
Even before the shooting, the government said it would conduct new interviews with all refugees admitted under the Biden administration.
Response to the announcement
As reported by NPR, Laurie Ball Cooper, vice president of US Legal Programs at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said: "This expanded ban is not about national security but instead is another shameful attempt to demonize people simply for where they are from.”
NAFSA: Association of International Educators responded in an official statement:
“Blanket travel bans based on entire nationalities or visa categories do not make the United States safer. In fact, they do the opposite. They make us weaker.
Relying on travel bans to act as a shield rather than relying on the strength of U.S. vetting protocols is essentially a retreat from global engagement. Our isolationism will create a vacuum that other enterprising nations will gladly fill. At a time when countries including China, Canada, Germany, and Japan are actively courting talented students, scholars, and researchers from around the world, this travel ban sends the message that the United States is better off without their contributions.
Furthermore, the proclamation’s rationale is based in part on visa overstay rates that are known to be deeply flawed. Using inaccurate data to justify a policy that has such far-reaching consequences for U.S. global engagement is misleading.
The administration’s latest actions will undoubtedly prevent some of the world’s best and brightest students from contributing to U.S. predominance in research, science, and innovation. This is yet another grave misstep that will have long-lasting consequences on U.S. global competitiveness.
We urge the administration to work with Congress to enact policy solutions that would reverse the damage this action and others are causing to our national interest.”
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