Current Status of Countries Subject to Adjudication Pauses and Travel Bans

The Trump Administration continues to impose pauses and bans on noncitizens from certain countries who are seeking visas and immigration benefits in the United States. This post provides an update on the status of these limitations as of April 23, 2026.

 

USCIS Pause on I-589 Asylum Adjudications

USCIS’s total pause on adjudicating I-589 applications for asylum was recently lifted, except for citizens from certain “high-risk” countries. This means that USCIS will resume issuing final decisions on pending Forms I-589 for most asylum-seekers, with the exception of citizens from the countries deemed “high-risk” by the federal government. These noncitizens are still subject to the adjudication pause.

The 40 countries still subject to USCIS’s asylum adjudication pause are:

Afghanistan	Cuba	Malawi	Sudan
Angola	Dominica	Mali	Syria
Antigua and Barbuda	Equatorial Guinea	Mauritania	Tanzania
Benin	Eritrea	Niger	Togo
Burkina Faso	Gabon	Nigeria	Tonga
Burma (Myanmar)	The Gambia	Palestine	Turkmenistan
Burundi	Haiti	Senegal	Venezuela
Chad	Iran	Sierra Leone	Yemen
Republic of the Congo	Laos	Somalia	Zambia
Cote d’Ivoire	Libya	South Sudan	Zimbabwe

 

USCIS Adjudication Pause on Immigration Benefit Applications

The January 1, 2026 USCIS Policy Memorandum places an adjudication pause on applications for citizens of 40 countries. The pause on adjudications applies to most immigration benefit applications, including applications for lawful permanent residency (I-485), naturalization (N-400), immigrant visa petitions (I-130/I-140), fiancé visa petitions (I-129), nonimmigrant visa petitions (I-129/I-539), employment authorization applications (I-765), and petitions for asylee/refugee relatives (I-730).

The following immigration benefit applications are exceptions and are not subject to the adjudication pause:

• Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
• Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
• Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship
• Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization filed under the (c)(8), limited (c)(11), and limited (c)(14) categories
• Form I-910, Application for Civil Surgeon Designation (only for physicians that are citizens or nationals of the United States)
• Benefit requests filed by a noncitizen who is an athlete or member of an athletic team, including the coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives for the purpose of participating in the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State
• Benefit requests that are a priority for law enforcement and where ICE has requested USCIS take adjudicative action to uphold public safety or national security
• Benefit requests filed by noncitizens whose entry would serve a United States national interest
• Benefit requests, as well as the associated underlying benefits, for any programs that are terminated or discontinued as a result of an Executive Order, Proclamation, Federal Register Notice, or Directive issued by the President, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the USCIS Director
• Automatic termination decisions for ancillary or related benefit requests when an alien is granted Legal Permanent Resident status or becomes a naturalized citizen

The 40 countries subject to USCIS’s adjudication pause are:

Afghanistan	Cuba	Malawi	Sudan
Angola	Dominica	Mali	Syria
Antigua and Barbuda	Equatorial Guinea	Mauritania	Tanzania
Benin	Eritrea	Niger	Togo
Burkina Faso	Gabon	Nigeria	Tonga
Burma (Myanmar)	The Gambia	Palestine	Turkmenistan
Burundi	Haiti	Senegal	Venezuela
Chad	Iran	Sierra Leone	Yemen
Republic of the Congo	Laos	Somalia	Zambia
Cote d’Ivoire	Libya	South Sudan	Zimbabwe

 

U.S. Department of State Adjudication Pause on Immigrant Visas

There are currently 75 countries that are subject to a U.S. Department of State adjudication pause on the issuance of immigrant visas. This means that citizens of these countries are ineligible to receive immigrant visas to permanently immigrate to the United States. This pause went into effect on January 21, 2026.

The 75 countries subject to the U.S. Department of State’s pause on the issuance of immigrant visas are:

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

Exceptions. This pause does not apply to dual nationals applying with a valid passport of a country not listed above. It also does not apply to children being adopted by Americans who can qualify for an exception, including a National Interest Exception.

 

Full Travel Ban

There are currently 20 countries that are subject to a full travel ban. This means that citizens of these countries are ineligible to receive immigrant and nonimmigrant visas and cannot enter the United States. The full travel ban applies to those outside of the United States who did not have a valid visa as of January 1, 2026.

These countries include:

Afghanistan	Libya
Burma	Mali
Burkina Faso	Niger
Chad	Palestine
Republic of the Congo	Sierra Leone
Equatorial Guinea	Somalia
Eritrea	South Sudan
Haiti	Sudan
Iran	Syria
Laos	Yemen

 

Partial Travel Ban

e are currently 19 countries that are subject to a partial travel ban. This means that citizens of these countries are ineligible to receive immigrant and specific nonimmigrant visas and cannot enter the United States. The nonimmigrant visas subject to this ban are tourist, student, and exchange visitor visas (B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas). The partial travel ban applies to those outside of the United States who did not have a valid visa as of January 1, 2026.

These countries include:

Angola	Mauritania
Antigua and Barbuda	Nigeria
Benin	Senegal
Burundi	Tanzania
Cote d’Ivoire	Togo
Cuba	Tonga
Dominica	Venezuela
Gabon	Zambia
The Gambia	Zimbabwe
Malawi	Mauritania

 

Modified Travel Ban

One country, Turkmenistan, is subject to a modified travel ban. This means that citizens Turkmenistan are ineligible to receive immigrant visas. The modified travel ban applies to those outside of the United States who did not have a valid immigrant visa as of January 1, 2026.

 

Exceptions to Travel Bans

The following individuals are exempt from the full, partial, and modified travel bans:

• Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs or green card holders)
• Refugees, asylees, and individuals granted Withholding of Removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture
• Diplomats and NATO personnel
• Dual nationals (if traveling on a passport from a non-designated country)
• Immediate relatives (spouses, minor children, or parents of U.S. citizens who are at least 21 years old), with proof of their relationship
• Children adopted abroad
• Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders and U.S. government employee SIVs
• Immigrant visa applicants who are ethnic or religious minorities facing persecution in Iran
• Athletes, coaches and support staff, and immediate relatives of athletes participating in “major sporting events,” including the Olympics and the World Cup
• Individuals whose entry is deemed in the national interest by the U.S. Attorney General or Secretary of State

For more information on the history of this topic, please see our earlier posts from December 3, 2025 and December 17, 2025.

For individual strategies, consult a qualified immigration attorney or accredited representative. If you would like to schedule a consultation, please contact Kolko & Casey, P.C.

Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration law and policy change rapidly. Always consult an attorney or accredited representative for advice about your specific situation.