US Visa Suspension List & Travel Bans 2026

The US visa suspension list has just been updated to include 75 countries. In this article, we look at which countries are on the list and why we believe they have been included. 

The main reasons the Trump administration has provided for the visa ban are national security and reducing the burden on public services. Other countries, however, seem to have been added on an impromptu basis and appear to be politically motivated. 

We examine how these inclusions align with the administration’s broader international strategy, as well as domestic policy goals, which have seen the White House place a firm emphasis on immigration reform.

We also look at how the inclusion of some countries directly impacts our industry and the global mobility movement as a whole. 

Trump Travel Bans & Visa Suspensions

It’s now a year since Trump returned to office, launching his all-out assault on immigration. 

In that time, we have seen a surge in US denaturalisation cases while the president himself threatened to revoke citizenship of critics, including prominent celebrities.

The administration has also moved to limit the number of skilled workers coming to the US by raising the cost of H-1B visas to $100,000, claiming it would incentivise companies to hire US citizens. 

2025 also saw challenges to birthright citizenship, which seeks to overturn US Supreme Court rulings dating back to the 19th century, while another proposed bill before Congress threatens to bring an end to dual citizenship.

Finally, we had the travel ban affecting 39 countries, plus a secondary visa ban, prohibiting citizens of 75 countries from immigrating to the United States. 

US Visa Suspension List 2026

On January 14th, 2026, the US announced an indefinite suspension of immigrant visas from the following countries: 

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belize
• Bhutan
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Colombia
• Congo
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Fiji
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Liberia
• Libya
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Nicaragua
• Nigeria
• North Macedonia
• Pakistan
• Republic of the Congo
• Russia
• Rwanda
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Syria
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• Togo
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Uruguay
• Uzbekistan
• Yemen

The only exceptions are for dual citizens with an additional citizenship not on the above list. 

Note that this ban applies to new applications only. Successful applicants who have already obtained their visas can retain them (they will not be revoked), however all pending applications from nationals of the above countries are now frozen. 

Applicants can still attend interviews and move the process forward, but no visas will be granted for the duration of the ban.

Why Has The US Suspended Visas From 75 Countries?

The Trump administration provides two core justifications for the 2026 visa suspension, the first being national security, and the second is strictly financial, claiming that the ban is a result of “common sense restrictions based on data”

The US Congress website states that the visa suspension is aimed at “those who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security and public safety, incite hate crimes, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”

The US State Department website, meanwhile, highlights certain “nationalities high risk of benefits usage”, before saying “immigrants must be financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans.”

Although in theory these visa suspensions are temporary measures, it is unclear how long each suspension will remain in place. One can assume, however, that if your country is also on the travel ban list, the visa suspension is likely to remain in place for longer.

US Travel Ban List 2026

In addition to the 75 countries on the US visa suspension list, which bans countries from immigrating to the US, the United States has also imposed travel bans on 39 countries (plus the Palestinian Territories), prohibiting travel to the US. 

There are two tiers of bans, full and partial bans. Full, as you have no doubt surmised, prohibits travel to the US under any circumstances. 

Partial bans permit travel under specific circumstances (e.g., diplomats), although the most common visa types (regular business, tourism, student visas, etc.) are prohibited.

The full ban list is mainly composed of countries in Africa’s Sahel and Sub-Saharan regions, along with perennial trouble spots like Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Myanmar. 

It’s worth pointing out that many of these are the same countries included on Trump’s original travel ban list from the summer of 2025. (And indeed some, like Iran, Libya, Somalia and Syria, date back to the 2017 travel ban from the original Trump administration.)

Country	Travel Ban
Afghanistan	Full
Angola	Partial
Antigua and Barbuda	Partial
Benin	Partial
Burkina Faso	Full
Burundi	Partial
Chad	Full
Cuba	Partial
Dominica	Partial
Equatorial Guinea	Full
Eritrea	Full
Gabon	Partial
Gambia	Partial
Haiti	Full
Iran	Full
Ivory Coast	Partial
Laos	Full
Libya	Full
Malawi	Partial
Mali	Full
Mauritania	Partial
Myanmar	Full
Niger	Full
Nigeria	Partial
Republic of Congo	Full
Senegal	Partial
Sierra Leone	Full
Somalia	Full
South Sudan	Full
Sudan	Full
Syria	Full
Tanzania	Partial
Togo	Partial
Tonga	Partial
Venezuela	Partial
Yemen	Full
Zambia	Partial
Zimbabwe	Partial

US Visa Suspension List: Analysis

When analysing the US visa suspension list from a global mobility perspective, there are three main categories of countries affected by the ban:

• The Global South 
• Eastern Europe & The Baltics
• The Caribbean 

The Global South 

The countries on the first list are predominantly from the global south, namely Southeast Asia, West Asia and the Middle East, North and Central Africa, and Central and South America. 

Some countries on this list, like Myanmar, Syria, and Iran, make sense from a security

standpoint, though others, like Egypt and Kuwait, which are US allies, and Brazil, a major trading partner, do not. 

Instead, their inclusion appears to be more politically motivated, the consequence of opposing the administration on specific issues.  

Eastern Europe & The Balkans

The main country on this list is Russia, along with several of its neighbours. 

These neighbouring countries often have complex and nuanced relationships with Russia, and each other, though the administration remains unconvinced and prefers to lump them together for now.  

Also included in this category are Balkan nations like Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania – countries which are in Europe but not the EU. 

The strategy here seems to be to isolate and punish the region collectively, then attempt to seek political concessions and economic deals individually. 

The Caribbean 

Finally, we get to the third category, countries in the Caribbean. This is where things get interesting. 

Cuba’s inclusion in the ban is a given, considering America’s long-standing enmity towards the Communist holdout, as is the inclusion of Haiti, a failed state run by warring gangs. 

Jamaica, meanwhile, seems to be a more clear-cut case of the US seeking to reduce immigration numbers from the island. 

The rest of the Caribbean countries on the list, however, are most interesting. These include countries like Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Barbados and The Bahamas.

Clearly, these countries are not a security risk and, given their tax haven status and popularity with HNWIs, the least likely of all the 75 countries to be a drain on American public services.

We can only surmise, therefore, that their inclusion on the list is for quite different reasons. 

US Targets Citizenship By Investment

When Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, analysts thought it was petty postering. In retrospect, we now realise it was a clear statement of intent. 

2025 saw Trump pivot from the isolationist “America First” policy of his first term, to a more aggressive stance which he subsequently dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine”. 

This culminated in America’s intervention in Venezuela at the beginning of 2026, and subsequent White House rhetoric has been unambiguous in its assertion that this is just the beginning. 

The administration has been quite vocal in its intention to dominate the Western Hemisphere, and that includes Latin America and the Caribbean. 

This is why, amongst the 75 countries on the US visa suspension list (a list which includes sanctioned countries like Russia, sworn enemies of the US like Iran, failed states like Haiti and Somalia, and active conflict zones like Yemen), we have eight affluent countries in the Caribbean.

So why has the Trump administration opted to include countries on the list? 

Country	CBI
Antigua and Barbuda	Y
Bahamas	N
Barbados	N
Dominica	Y
Grenada	Y
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Y
Saint Lucia	Y
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	N

Well, if you look at the list, you will notice two things. Firstly, these are all either low-tax or tax-free countries which are within America’s sphere of influence. 

Second, of those eight countries, five offer citizenship by investment programmes. 

Official White House announcements have made multiple references to “citizenship by investment without residency”, specifically singling out Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica by adding both countries to the travel ban list. (Both currently have partial travel bans.) 

These followed a White House statement in December saying, “some of these countries have offered Citizenship by Investment (CBI) without residency, which poses challenges for screening and vetting purposes.” 

According to the statement, such programmes make it too easy for citizens from visa-ban countries to purchase a new passport and subsequently apply for a US visa. 

US Visa Suspension: Consequences

According to the Trump administration, the primary goal of the visa ban is to bolster US security by barring immigration from high-risk countries. 

From this perspective, at least, many of the countries on this list make sense. The secondary goal, preventing certain nationalities from defrauding public services, is harder to quantify. 

Despite the White House’s claims that these countries are chosen “based on data”, it’s hard not to feel that they were more likely based on vibes, while certain countries, such as Brazil, were singled out for political reasons. 

Another country of note is Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria. Prior to taking action in

Venezuela, the Trump administration publicly criticised the Nigerian government for not doing enough to protect its Christian citizens from Islamic terrorism. 

Then, on Christmas Day, 2025, the US military launched air strikes against Islamic State-backed insurgents in the north of the country. 

Clearly, Nigeria is a country of interest to the Trump administration. There is a risk, however, that banning immigrants from the country could potentially backfire economically. 

An English-speaking and tech-savvy nation, Nigerians comprise one of the largest groups of immigrants in the US, with many working in finance and tech. 

It’s a similar story with Pakistan, another country which, like its neighbour India, traditionally exported a large number of talented graduates to the US, particularly in science, medicine and tech. 

The Trump visa ban, combined with the increased cost of H1-B visas, has resulted in all that talent opting to ignore the US and look elsewhere. 

Canada and Europe are the obvious next choices, though, increasingly, global talent has begun to look further east to countries like the UAE. 

And, while companies, particularly in tech, continue to grumble, Trump insists that the solution is to “hire American” instead. 

Unfortunately, this stance risks throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater, greatly reducing the influx of global talent which helped make America great in the first place.

Then again, there is another reason why the administration is so keen on visa reform, one which has nothing to do with talent, security threats or unburdening public services. 

US Visa Suspension: The Trump Factor

Trump views the world in purely transactional terms, and this viewpoint equally applies to immigration. 

While there certainly is a clear focus on national security and fraud, one can’t deny there’s also a clear carrot-and-stick element to Trump’s visa ban list. 

Just ask Turkmenistan which, unlike its neighbours, is not included in the list of 75 countries despite originally appearing on the June 2025 travel ban list. The country was subsequently removed from the travel ban list because, according to the White House, the country has “engaged productively with the United States and demonstrated significant progress.”

The message from the White House is clear; by engaging with the US and working to address certain issues, you increase the chances of having your country removed from the list. 

Of course, there is another reason why the Trump administration in general, and Trump in particular, is taking such an interest in visa reform, and that’s the rollout of the Trump Visa programme. 

Dubbed the Trump Card, this is essentially a fast-track permanent visa process for “successful entrepreneurs, investors, and businessmen and women.”

With prices starting at $1 million USD, plus a $15,000 application fee, there is no ambiguity as to what the administration’s definition of “successful” means. 

The Trump Gold Card is aimed at HNWI individuals, while the doubly-expensive Trump Corporate Card is aimed at companies. Both programmes are now live. 

A third option, a $5 million USD Trump Platinum Card, is also under development. Since the aim of this particular card is to bestow exemptions on foreign-sourced income, it would essentially alter the current US tax code and therefore requires Congressional approval. 

Unlike the pre-existing EB-5 programme, which offers a Green Card in exchange for investment in an approved US company, Trump Card visas are donation-based rather than based on actual investments. 

The trade-off is a speedier application process, but not until after applicants have been extensively vetted. 

Although immigration reform has always been a cornerstone of Trump’s presidency, the Trump Card programme is another reason why the administration is so keen on tightening immigration rules, since, by doing so, it bolsters the value and exclusivity of the Trump Card programme. 

With a five-year naturalisation window for permanent residents, it also makes sense why the administration is looking to curtail citizenship by investment on its own doorstep. 

Except that, traditionally, that traffic has moving in the opposite direction. For disgruntled Americans looking to leave the US permanently obtaining a passport through a Caribbean citizenship by investment programme often precedes renunciation.

This allows them to escape the IRS and enjoy considerably lower taxes, though more often than not, obtaining Caribbean CBI is just the first step before ultimately applying for a European golden visa or moving to a tax-free country like the UAE. 

US Visa Suspension: Key Takeaways

• The US immigration visa suspension has been expanded to include 75 countries.
• The US also has a travel ban on 39 countries (plus the Palestinian Territories).
• Countries which engage with the US may have the ban lifted, though currently only Turkmenistan has managed to do so. 
• Some nationalities on the visa suspension list are deemed to be security risks, while others are accused of overstaying their visas and being a drain on US services.
• The majority of the countries on the visa suspension list are in the Global South, or Eurasia (i.e. Russia and countries which border it).
• Many of the inclusions also appear politically motivated and are a way to apply pressure on specific countries. 
• The updated list also includes several tax-friendly Caribbean countries, five of which offer citizenship by investment. 
• The launch of Trump’s own RBI programme in 2025 demonstrates a desire to attract HNWIs to the US, though other policies are prompting a rapid relocation of talent. 

US Visa Ban: Conclusion

Trump’s second term is proving even more turbulent than his first.  

Just one year in, and already the global view of America and its place in the world is forever changed. 

His shock and awe approach to immigration, meanwhile, is prompting a complete rethink of what citizenship means in the 21st century. 

More Americans are looking at second citizenships as a hedge against uncertainty, while international talent, which traditionally looked to the US as the top country for work and study, has begun looking elsewhere. 

All of this volatility is creating additional demand for global mobility solutions, be that second citizenships, or golden visa programmes in popular destinations like Europe and the UAE.

So, if you have a programme in mind but have been sitting on the fence, now is the time to act. We’re already seeing a rise in demand from the US and other Western countries, and we expect that demand to rise further throughout 2026 and beyond.

So don’t wait until the demand creates further bottlenecks; get ahead of the game and contact Millionaire Migrant today.

US Visa Suspension: FAQ

What is the US Visa Suspension List?

The US visa suspension list is a list of 75 countries whose citizens are prohibited from attaining US immigration visas. It is not to be confused with the travel ban, which restricts travel to the US. 

What is the US Travel Ban list?

The US travel ban list is a list of countries which are prohibited from visiting the United States. The list currently consists of 39 countries (plus the Palestinian Territories) with partial bans. 

Partial bans still allow for certain types of visas, such as diplomatic visas, but still prohibit issuance of more popularly used visas like student and tourist visas, while full bans prohibit travel to the US under any circumstances. 

How will the US Travel Ban affect the World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup is jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. Of the sixteen scheduled matches, two will be held in Canada, three in Mexico and one in the United States. 

Although the US has made specific exceptions for players (and for athletes in future events like the Olympics), fans from the travel ban countries will be unable to attend US-hosted matches, even if they previously bought tickets. 

This includes fans from Iran and Haiti, which are under a full travel ban, as well as Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Senegal, which both have partial travel bans that include a ban on tourist visas. 

Other participating countries may also be added to the travel ban list before the World Cup commences. Colombia, for example, is currently on the immigration ban list, but not the travel ban list.

This could still prove problematic for Colombian fans, however, since the administration has previously made threats against the country and may opt to add its citizens to an amended travel ban list in future.

Considering how fast things are moving, soccer fans from all countries, regardless of whether America traditionally considered them friend or foe, should carefully monitor the situation and ensure they have the most up-to-date information before travelling.