Trump administration mulls travel restrictions for citizens of 41 countries, including Pakistan and Bhutan

The memo categorises 41 countries into three groups.

The first group, comprising 10 nations, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea, would face a complete suspension of visa issuance.

The second group, which includes Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and South Sudan, would be subject to partial restrictions affecting tourist, student, and other immigrant visas, with certain exceptions.

A third category lists 26 countries, including Pakistan, Bhutan, and Myanmar, which may face partial visa suspensions unless their governments take corrective measures within 60 days, according to the memo.

A US official, speaking anonymously, noted that the list is subject to revision and is yet to receive final approval from the administration, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The New York Times was the first to report on the list.

The proposal echoes former President Donald Trump’s travel ban from his first term, which initially targeted seven majority-Muslim countries and underwent multiple revisions before being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 mandating stricter security vetting for foreign nationals seeking entry into the US to identify potential national security threats.

The order required officials to compile, by March 21, a list of countries with inadequate screening measures that should face full or partial travel suspensions.

This initiative is part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which he launched at the start of his second term.

He had previewed the plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to impose restrictions on travellers from regions such as Gaza, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and other areas deemed security threats.