On December 16, a presidential proclamation announced restrictions on entry to the United States for nationals from certain countries, which goes into effect January 1, 2026. The new proclamation amends and adds to the list of countries first named in the June 4 presidential proclamation. 

Full restriction:

Countries whose nationals now face full restrictions and limited entry:  Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Myanmar (Burma), Niger, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Individuals whose travel documents were issued by the Palestinian Authority are also subject to full restrictions and entry limitations. 

• The restrictions apply to all nonimmigrant visa types.

Partial restriction:

Countries whose nationals now face partial restrictions and limited entry:  Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.   

• Students or scholars from these countries who seek to enter the United States on F-1 or J-1 visas are subject to the proclamations, along with their dependents. 

• Scholars on H-1B or O-1 visas are unaffected. 

Other changes:

The December 16 proclamation lifted the ban on nonimmigrant visas for individuals from Turkmenistan.

Exceptions:

The proclamation’s restrictions do not apply to lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, and individuals whose entry is deemed by the government to serve U.S. national interests. Please review the proclamation for the full list of exceptions.

What the proclamation means for you:

• If you remain in the United States on a valid visa, your status should remain intact, even if you are from a travel ban country. You may continue your studies, research, employment, and other academic activities.   

• If you do not have a valid, unexpired visa stamp *and* are outside the United States on the proclamation’s effective date of January 1, you will be prevented from entering the U.S.  

• If you are a current international student or scholar, we encourage you to contact your country's local consulate or embassy in the United States (view a full list) to inform them of your presence at Harvard, share your contact information, and learn about what support they can offer.   

Your decision to travel is a personal matter. If you’re planning to travel internationally—whether to or from the U.S. – we encourage you to assess your risks, have contingency plans, and consider whether the possibility of a delayed entry would affect your ability to pursue on-campus research, work, or study.  

We recommend that you contact your HIO advisor before attempting to enter the U.S.  If you’re in the process of coming to campus and you’re not permitted to enter the U.S., you should notify your HIO advisor as soon as possible.   

Our commitment to Harvard’s international community:

The students and scholars who join us from around the world are an essential part of our University community. Your contributions make Harvard a center of academic excellence and groundbreaking research and innovation. We will continue to fight for you and to keep you informed as the situation evolves.