What is the 2026 immigration ban?
On December 16, 2025, the Trump administration issued an expanded travel ban proclamation, effective January 1, 2026. Separately, on January 14, 2026, the State Department announced an indefinite freeze on immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, effective January 21, 2026.
Together, these two policies affect nationals of 91 countries in some form. But the impact is not the same across all of them. Whether an employee can travel, renew a work visa, or continue a Green Card application depends on which group their country falls into.
For HR teams managing sponsored workforces, the practical question is not "is my employee's country on a list?" It is: what specifically is blocked, what is still permitted, and what does HR need to do right now?
This article breaks that down by group.
The three-group framework
The interactive country checker embedded below organizes affected countries into three groups based on the severity and scope of the restrictions.
Group A covers 19 countries subject to a full entry ban. All visa types are suspended - immigrant and nonimmigrant alike. H-1B, O-1, B-1/B-2, F-1, J-1, and immigrant visas (Green Cards at US consulates) are all blocked for new entry.
Group B covers 20 countries subject to a partial ban. Work visa entry (H-1B, O-1, L-1) is still permitted, with significant delays. Tourist, student, and exchange visitor visas (B-1/B-2, F-1, M-1, J-1) are suspended, as are new immigrant visas at US consulates.
Group C covers 52 additional countries affected only by the State Department immigrant visa freeze. Work visas, tourist visas, and student visas are fully unaffected. Only the immigrant visa (Green Card at a US consulate abroad) is frozen.
Note: many Group A and B countries are also subject to the immigrant visa freeze, but the travel ban restrictions are more severe and take precedence.
Group A - Full Entry Ban (19 countries)
The following countries are subject to a complete suspension of entry for all nationals: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
In addition, individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents are subject to the same restrictions regardless of their nationality.
What is blocked: Every visa type - H-1B, O-1, L-1, B-1/B-2, F-1, J-1, and immigrant visas at US consulates. No new entry on any visa is permitted.
What is still permitted: For employees already inside the US, renewals, extensions, and changes of status filed with USCIS internally are still being processed. A federal court issued a preliminary injunction in April 2026 blocking USCIS from placing holds on applications from nationals of the 39 ban countries who are already inside the US. This means I-485 filings, H-1B extensions, and work permit renewals for employees already here must continue to move forward.
The key HR risk: International travel. An employee from a Group A country who leaves the US has no path to return on any visa. This is not a paperwork issue. It is a permanent loss of the employee's ability to work in the US until the ban is lifted.
HR actions for Group A:
Do not approve international travel for any employee whose passport is from a Group A country. If an employee is outside the US, engage immigration counsel immediately to assess whether any exception category applies. File all USCIS renewals, extensions, and status changes inside the US. If an employee is eligible to file I-485 (adjustment of status for a Green Card), file now. Do not wait for consular processing.
Group B - Partial Entry Ban (20 countries)
The following countries are - subject to partial restrictions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
What is blocked: For 19 of the 20 countries, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants on B-1/B-2 (tourist/business), F-1 (student), M-1 (vocational), and J-1 (exchange visitor) visas is suspended. New immigrant visas (Green Cards at US consulates) are also suspended.
What is still permitted: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E-3, and other work visa entry is permitted, though consular appointment delays are significant (estimates range from 6 to 9 months). I-485 (adjustment of status inside the US) is fully unaffected.
Turkmenistan is a special case. For Turkmenistan nationals, only the immigrant visa is suspended. All nonimmigrant visa types - including B-1/B-2, F-1, and J-1 - are fully permitted. H-1B and work visa entry are unaffected.
The key HR risk for Group B: An employee who travels abroad and needs to renew their H-1B visa stamp at a US consulate may be waiting six to nine months for an appointment. If an employee from a Group B country leaves the US and their H-1B stamp has expired, getting back in is technically possible but the wait is severe. B-1/B-2 travel - which many employees use for short business trips abroad - is blocked.
HR actions for Group B:
Discourage international travel for Group B employees where alternatives exist. File all H-1B renewals, extensions, and status changes with USCIS inside the US. If an employee must travel abroad, counsel them that H-1B visa stamp renewals at consulates are facing major backlogs. Green Card I-485 filings inside the US are unaffected. Do not send employees abroad expecting a quick consular appointment.
Group C - Immigrant Visa Freeze (52 additional countries)
The State Department's January 21, 2026 freeze on immigrant visa processing applies to nationals of 75 countries. For the 23 countries in Groups A and B that are also on this list, the travel ban restrictions are more severe and take precedence. The remaining 52 countries are affected only by the visa freeze.
Countries in Group C include: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, and Uzbekistan.
What is blocked: Only the immigrant visa at a US consulate abroad. Employees in consular Green Card processing (those who applied for an immigrant visa at a US embassy or consulate rather than filing I-485 inside the US) are in an indefinite holding pattern.
What is still permitted: Everything else. H-1B, O-1, L-1, B-1/B-2, F-1, J-1 - all normal. International travel is unrestricted. Work authorization is unaffected. I-485 (adjustment of status inside the US) is fully operational.
The key HR risk for Group C: The freeze does not affect most employees' day-to-day status. But for employees in the consular Green Card pipeline specifically - those who are abroad waiting for a consular interview, or who have an immigrant visa application pending at an embassy - that specific step is indefinitely paused. There is no current end date on the freeze.
HR actions for Group C:
No immediate action for most employees. Identify whether any employees are currently in consular Green Card processing (immigrant visa at a consulate abroad, rather than I-485 inside the US). For those employees, the consular interview and visa issuance are frozen. Work with your immigration attorney on whether switching to I-485 adjustment of status - if eligible and if the employee is inside the US - is a viable option.
What about employees already inside the US?
The travel ban and visa freeze apply primarily to new entry. For employees already inside the US, the following applies across all three groups:
USCIS-filed renewals and extensions are proceeding. In April 2026, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction blocking USCIS from placing holds on immigration applications from nationals of the 39 travel ban countries (Groups A and B) who are already inside the US. USCIS must continue to process H-1B extensions, work permits, and I-485 Green Card applications filed by these employees.
I-485 (adjustment of status) is unaffected for all groups. The visa freeze and the travel ban affect the consular process abroad. The I-485 process inside the US remains fully operational.
Travel is the critical decision point. For Group A and B employees, the most serious risk is leaving the US. Once an employee is outside the US, Group A employees cannot return on any visa. Group B employees can return on a work visa, but consular appointment delays mean a potentially months-long wait. For Group C employees, travel is unrestricted.
How to use the country checker
The interactive checker embedded in this article covers all 91 affected countries. Search any country or click any row in the table to see:
- Which group the country falls into (A, B, or C)
- Status of each visa type (H-1B, B-1/B-2, F-1/J-1, Green Card, I-485)
- Specific HR actions recommended for that group
The checker reflects the state of the law as of May 2026, including the April 2026 court order on USCIS application processing.
A note on timing
The immigration ban landscape has shifted since the original proclamation took effect on January 1, 2026. The Group B list in the December 2025 proclamation is significantly larger than the partial ban that preceded it. Countries like Nigeria, Senegal, Bangladesh, and Russia are on these lists. HR teams with sponsored workforces should not assume that because an employee's country was not affected by an earlier ban version, they are still clear.
Use the checker. Verify your employee's country against the current list. And for anything that involves international travel or a pending visa appointment, engage immigration counsel before making a decision.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration law and policy are subject to change. Consult a qualified immigration attorney for guidance specific to your situation.
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