Information Regarding December 2025 Expansion of Federal Travel Ban

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 17:18:54 -0500
federal-orders

Dear Campus Community,

I am writing to update you on recent travel restrictions that affect certain members of our campus community.

The information contained in this communication is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. If you have specific legal questions about your own immigration status, please seek assistance from a private immigration attorney.

On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation that expands upon the June 4, 2025 list of countries subject to a "full" or "partial" suspension of entry to the United States. This proclamation expands entry restrictions to include certain immigrants and nonimmigrants from 39 countries and individuals traveling with Palestinian Authority-issued documents. The new entry restrictions go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 01, 2026.

Full Suspension of Entry
A "full" suspension constitutes a restriction on entry into the United States as immigrants and as nonimmigrants with limited exceptions for:

1. Any lawful permanent resident of the United States;

2. Any dual national of a country on the above list when the individual is traveling on a passport issued by a country not so designated;

3. Any foreign national traveling with a valid nonimmigrant visa in the following classifications: A‑1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO‑2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6;

4. Any athlete or member of an athletic team, including the coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State;

5. Special Immigrant Visas for United States Government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D); and

6. Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.

Countries (additions in italics) subject to the "full" suspension include:

Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

A full suspension was also announced for individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.

Partial Suspension of Entry

A "partial" suspension constitutes a restriction on entry into the United States as immigrants and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas with the same limited exceptions as are provided for the "full" suspension. Other categories of nonimmigrant visas are not currently subject to the "partial" suspension.

Countries (additions in italics) subject to a "partial" suspension include:

Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Entry Restrictions on Nationals of Turkmenistan to be Amended
The current partial ban on nonimmigrants from Turkmenistan will be lifted. The ban will be lifted for nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas. However, the entry into the United States of nationals of Turkmenistan as immigrants remains suspended.

Applicability:
According to a White House Fact Sheet, the new proclamation only applies to foreign nationals of the designated countries who:

Do not meet one of the limited exceptions previously mentioned;

are outside of the United States on January 01, 2026; and

do not have a valid visa on January 01, 2026.

Impact:
During the fall 2025 semester, 160 UMBC students were citizens of one of the designated countries. An additional 30 students who were admitted and already confirmed their intent to enroll at UMBC for the spring 2026 semester may no longer be able to join our campus community due to the expanded travel restrictions.

Guidance:
Nationals of the designated countries should fully understand how this proclamation applies to their individual circumstances before planning travel outside of the United States.

Individuals holding active F, H, or J immigration status should contact the Center for Global Engagement prior to planning international travel.

Individuals in other immigration statuses should contact a private immigration attorney prior to planning international travel.

Individuals who are considering changing their current immigration status should consult with a private immigration attorney about how the proclamation may impact their future intended status.

Support:
The Center for Global Engagement is actively reaching out to international students, employees and visiting scholars (F, H and J nonimmigrants) from the designated countries regarding the expanded travel ban. These individuals will also be invited to attend one of two closed virtual information sessions scheduled for Friday, December 19, 2025.

The Center for Global Engagement will continue to monitor White House, U.S. Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services communications for any updates on this proclamation. Please feel free to contact our Office of International Students and Scholars if you have any questions, concerns, or if you simply want to talk with an advisor. We are here to support you.

Please check your email regularly and refer to our Immigration Policy Updates pagefor announcements regarding future updates to immigration and visa policies. Additionally, we recommend reaching out to a private immigration attorney if you have specific legal concerns.

Additional information and resources related to immigration and other federal policy updates are available on UMBC's Federal Orders and Actions Page.

David L. Di Maria
Vice Provost for Global Engagement