Possible New Travel Ban for Citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan

A new travel ban is being finalized with news sources indicating that Afghanistan and Pakistan are likely to be included in the list of countries recommended for a full ban. Additional countries are expected to be added, though no official announcement has been made yet.

These restrictions would have a significant impact, as there are approximately 200,000 Afghans who have been approved for U.S. resettlement, or have pending U.S. refugee and Special Immigrant Visa applications.

The new travel ban stems from President Trump’s Executive Order on January 20, 2025, Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Risks. The Executive Order requires the government to submit a report within 60 days identifying countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries”.

During his first term, President Trump issued several travel bans that targeted travelers from Belarus, Chad, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela and Yemen. It is highly likely that some of these countries will be subject to a travel ban again.

Individuals from countries potentially impacted by the new ban should closely monitor these developments and, if outside of the country, travel back to the U.S. as soon as possible.

This alert is for informational purposes. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this development further.