US plans sweeping visa bans on 41 countries, 8 of them in Africa

Trump

The Trump administration is considering issuing sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of dozens of countries as part of a new ban, according to sources familiar with the matter and an internal memo seen by Reuters.

The memo lists a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups. The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea, among others, would be set for a full visa suspension.

In the second group, five countries — Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan — would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.

In the third group, a total of 26 countries that include Belarus, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, among others, would be considered for a partial suspension of U.S. visa issuance if their governments “do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days”, the memo said.

Here is the full list of the 41 countries and their categories-

Full visa suspension:

Afghanistan

Cuba

Iran

Libya

North Korea

Somalia

Sudan

Syria

Venezuela

Yemen

Partial visa suspension (tourist, student and some other visas affected):

Eritrea

Haiti

Laos

Myanmar

South Sudan

Countries recommended for a partial suspension if they do not address deficiencies:

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Belarus

Benin

Bhutan

Burkina Faso

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