United States President, Donald Trump, has signed a Proclamation further restricting entry to the United States for nationals of four additional African countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and South Sudan.
The presidential proclamation issued on December 16, 2025, also imposed partial restrictions and entry limitations to 12 more African countries including Nigeria.
The White House said in a statement that Trump signed a proclamation “expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.”
The expanded ban goes into effect on January 1, 2026.
Specifically, the classes of visas affected include the B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J Visas.
Besides Nigeria, the African countries newly subject to partial restrictions, are Angola, Benin, Gabon, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In the proclamation, the White House alleged high crime rates from some countries on the blacklist and problems with routine record-keeping for passports.
The fact sheet notes that “exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories like athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests” are included.
The restrictions are country-specific “in order to encourage cooperation with the subject countries in recognition of each country’s unique circumstances,” the fact sheet says, highlighting challenges such as “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and nonexistent birth-registration systems—systemically preventing accurate vetting.”
Some countries, it notes, “refuse to share passport exemplars or law-enforcement data,” while others allow Citizenship-by-Investment schemes that conceal identity and bypass vetting requirements.
The fact sheet also cites “high visa-overstay rates and refusal to repatriate removable nationals” and the presence of “terrorist, criminal, and extremist activity” in several restricted countries.
In his first term, President Trump imposed travel restrictions that restricted entry from several countries with inadequate vetting processes or that posed significant security risks.
