New: Travel Suspension/Restrictions for Certain Foreign Nationals
The White House issued an Executive Order on December 16, 2025, titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.” The provisions of this order take effect at 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time on January 1, 2026. This order supersedes all previous executive orders on the effective date.
Below is a summary of the Executive Order and our guidance for those affected:
For further guidance please be in contact with iss@wfu.edu or you may hire your own immigration counsel.
Full Suspension of Entry for Nationals from:
- Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and all individuals holding Palestinian-Authority issued travel documents.
- This applies to both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas.
Partial Suspension of Entry for Nationals from:
- 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.
- This applies to immigrants and nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas.
- Lifts ban for non-immigrants for Turkmenistan, but suspended entry for Turkmen nationals as immigrants.
Current Guidance for All Other Countries:
All others, our published guidance has been updated to reflect the restrictions/suspensions:
- Travel Advisory: Chinese Nationals
- Fall/Winter Travel Advisory: Non-Immigrants
- Travel Advisory: Permanent Residents
The suspension and limitation on entry do not apply to the following based on the executive order:
- Lawful permanent residents of the United States.
- Dual nationals of a designated country traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country.
- Foreign nationals with valid nonimmigrant visas 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.
- Athletes or athletic team members (including coaches, support staff, and immediate relatives) traveling for major sporting events (e.g., World Cup, Olympics) as determined by the Secretary of State.
- Special Immigrant Visas for United States Government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D); and
- immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
If you have any additional questions or need of assistance, email iss@wfu.edu.