The first business day of 2026 opened with one of the most sweeping border measures in recent U.S. history. At 12:01 a.m. EST on 1 January, Presidential Proclamation 10998 replaced and enlarged last summer’s travel proclamation, fully or partially blocking the admission of citizens of 39 countries—and anyone traveling on Palestinian-Authority documents—from entering the United States. The White House says the move is necessary because the affected governments “do not provide sufficiently reliable identity-management or public-safety information.”
The new rules divide countries into two buckets. Nationals from 20 jurisdictions—including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Palestinian Authority—are subject to a **full suspension of entry** covering both immigrant and non-immigrant visas. A further 19 countries—among them Angola, Cuba, Nigeria, Venezuela and Zambia—face a **partial suspension** that bars issuance of B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student/exchange visas as well as all immigrant visas. Lawful permanent residents, dual nationals traveling on a non-listed passport, and very narrow categories of diplomatic and humanitarian travellers are exempt.
For global mobility managers the timing is brutal. Many transferees and assignees scheduled to start U.S. projects in Q1 now find themselves cut off from visa issuance or boarding. Airlines have begun denying boarding at foreign airports after adopting new real-time checks against CBP watch lists, adding lengthier queues and higher denied-boarding rates. U.S. universities such as UNLV and Berkeley have urged students from the listed countries to cancel spring travel plans, and multinational employers are scrambling to map affected talent pools, explore remote-work contingencies, or redirect staff to Canada and Mexico hubs.
![Expanded U.S. Travel Ban on 39 Countries Takes Effect, Reshaping Corporate Mobility Planning]()
In this fast-moving environment, VisaHQ can serve as a critical lifeline. The platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) tracks real-time changes like Proclamation 10998, clarifies alternative visa pathways, and offers document-processing support so HR teams and travelers can pivot quickly and keep projects on schedule.
The proclamation does not cancel visas that were already valid as of 1 January, but CBP retains discretion at ports of entry. Early anecdotal reports indicate secondary inspections lasting two to four hours for many returning green-card holders from the listed nations. Immigration counsel recommend that business travellers carry proof of ongoing projects and employer support letters and that companies review duty-of-care policies to cover extended lay-overs if a traveller is refused boarding.
Because proclamation-based bans are discretionary, litigation is all but certain. Several civil-rights groups have already signalled court challenges in the Ninth Circuit, echoing earlier “Travel Ban 1.0” cases in 2017-19. Until a court intervenes—or the Administration revises the list—corporate travel planners should treat the restrictions as long-term and budget for alternative staffing models, extended lead times and higher relocation costs.
The new rules divide countries into two buckets. Nationals from 20 jurisdictions—including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Palestinian Authority—are subject to a **full suspension of entry** covering both immigrant and non-immigrant visas. A further 19 countries—among them Angola, Cuba, Nigeria, Venezuela and Zambia—face a **partial suspension** that bars issuance of B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student/exchange visas as well as all immigrant visas. Lawful permanent residents, dual nationals traveling on a non-listed passport, and very narrow categories of diplomatic and humanitarian travellers are exempt.
For global mobility managers the timing is brutal. Many transferees and assignees scheduled to start U.S. projects in Q1 now find themselves cut off from visa issuance or boarding. Airlines have begun denying boarding at foreign airports after adopting new real-time checks against CBP watch lists, adding lengthier queues and higher denied-boarding rates. U.S. universities such as UNLV and Berkeley have urged students from the listed countries to cancel spring travel plans, and multinational employers are scrambling to map affected talent pools, explore remote-work contingencies, or redirect staff to Canada and Mexico hubs.
In this fast-moving environment, VisaHQ can serve as a critical lifeline. The platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) tracks real-time changes like Proclamation 10998, clarifies alternative visa pathways, and offers document-processing support so HR teams and travelers can pivot quickly and keep projects on schedule.
The proclamation does not cancel visas that were already valid as of 1 January, but CBP retains discretion at ports of entry. Early anecdotal reports indicate secondary inspections lasting two to four hours for many returning green-card holders from the listed nations. Immigration counsel recommend that business travellers carry proof of ongoing projects and employer support letters and that companies review duty-of-care policies to cover extended lay-overs if a traveller is refused boarding.
Because proclamation-based bans are discretionary, litigation is all but certain. Several civil-rights groups have already signalled court challenges in the Ninth Circuit, echoing earlier “Travel Ban 1.0” cases in 2017-19. Until a court intervenes—or the Administration revises the list—corporate travel planners should treat the restrictions as long-term and budget for alternative staffing models, extended lead times and higher relocation costs.
