New U.S. Immigration Measures Implemented on New Year's Day, 39 Countries Restricted

Starting from January 1st, the U.S. government has launched a new round of travel bans and multiple immigration policy adjustments simultaneously, including expanding the list of restricted countries to 39 nations, suspending immigration application reviews for certain countries, and fully increasing various immigration-related fees. These measures took effect on the first day of the new year and are seen as the most stringent immigration system tightening action by the Trump administration in recent years, affecting dozens of countries around the world.

According to the U.S. government's announcement, the new travel ban now covers 39 countries, up from the original 19. It also includes individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. Most of these countries are in Africa, with some in Asia, including Myanmar and Laos. Additionally, countries such as Afghanistan, the Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iran, Syria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have been placed on a comprehensive travel ban list, meaning people from these countries can no longer apply for any U.S. visa starting January 1st.

Another 19 countries have been listed as partial travel ban targets, including Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Zambia. Citizens of these countries can still apply based on individual identities and visa types, but will face stricter review procedures.

The U.S. government also emphasized that the ban is not retroactive. Those who legally entered the United States before January 1, 2026, or who still hold valid visas on that day will not be affected by the new rules. In addition, athletes and their team members, certain diplomatic personnel, and dual citizens remain in the exempt category.

After the announcement of the new ban, it caused strong reactions from some African countries. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have announced a ban on American citizens entering their countries. Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Traore (Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré) stated that this move was based on the "principle of equality"; the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the decision was made to defend "mutual respect and equality of sovereignty."

2026 marks the beginning of major changes in immigration policies. In addition to travel restrictions, the Trump administration also officially adjusted several immigration application fees on the same day. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stated that all applications with postmarks dated January 1st or later must pay the new rates, especially for applying or updating work permits. Before this, the U.S. government had already tightened the process for renewing work permits, shortening the validity period from five years to 18 months.

At the end of last year, the State Department announced that consulates would expand the scope of online activity reviews for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, similar to previous policies targeting student and exchange scholar visa applicants, requiring all such visa applicants to set their social media platform privacy settings to "public." The Department of Homeland Security also announced that all ESTA applicants need to provide social media messages from the past five years.

Previously, Trump had signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 high fee on H1-B applicants and introduced a "Gold Card" immigration plan, allowing permanent residency in exchange for an investment of $1 million.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1853292444929035/

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