US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation expanding entry restrictions on foreign nationals from a wide range of countries, citing national security, public safety, weak vetting systems and high visa overstay rates.
According to a White House fact sheet, the new proclamation builds on earlier travel restrictions and applies full or partial entry limits on nationals from more than 30 countries, while tightening rules on certain travel documents and narrowing some family-based visa exemptions.
The proclamation continues full entry restrictions on nationals from 12 countries that were already subject to bans under Proclamation 10949: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
It adds five more countries to the list of those facing full suspension of entry following what the administration described as a fresh security assessment. These countries are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria.
The order also imposes full entry restrictions on individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents, citing the inability to reliably vet such travellers amid ongoing conflict and the presence of militant groups in the West Bank and Gaza.
Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously subject to partial restrictions, have now been moved to the full suspension category.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
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