Dive Brief:
- President Donald Trump on Tuesday fully banned individuals from an additional seven countries from traveling to the U.S., as well as those with travel documentation from Palestinian authorities, effective Jan. 1.
- In a presidential proclamation, he also placed partial entry limitations on 15 additional countries, including Nigeria, one of the top 10 sources for international students in the U.S.
- Higher education officials pushed back on the travel ban expansion — which will include 39 countries — arguing it will further constrict the U.S.'s international student pipeline and stymie the country's global competitiveness.
Dive Insight:
Both partial and full federal travel restrictions block F and J visas, the types mostly frequently used by international students. F visas are more commonly known as international student visas. And certain foreign students can obtain J visas, which also cover short-term college instructors and researchers.
In June, Trump issued a presidential proclamation that banned or restricted entry into the U.S. from 19 countries, a move which sparked several lawsuits. Tuesday's proclamation more than doubled the number of affected countries.
NAFSA: Association of International Educators called the expansion "anticipated" but "disappointing and misguided" in a Tuesday statement.
"At a time when countries including China, Canada, Germany, and Japan are actively courting talented students, scholars, and researchers from around the world, this travel ban sends the message that the United States is better off without their contributions," the group said. “The administration’s latest actions will undoubtedly prevent some of the world’s best and brightest students from contributing to U.S. predominance in research, science, and innovation.”
Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, called the travel ban “a self-inflicted wound that directly undermines our economic competitiveness and our ability to welcome and retain global talent.”
“It signals to the world that the U.S. is no longer a welcoming destination for talent from around the world,” she said in a Wednesday statement.
The proclamation exempts lawful permanent residents, current visa holders, and "individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests" from the restrictions. It also exempts certain visa categories for athletes and diplomats.
It did not list exceptions for international students, arguing that individuals overstaying their F and J visas, among other types, necessitate travel bans against some countries.
High visa-overstay rates among individuals from these countries "demonstrate disregard for U.S. immigration laws and burden American enforcement resources," the proclamation said.
For example, Trump cited visa overstays in part when placing partial travel restrictions on Nigeria.
In his proclamation, Trump alleged that more than 1 in 10 Nigerian citizens in the U.S. on a F, J or M visa overstay their visa, citing an annual report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. An M visa allows foreign students to study at a vocational or approved nonacademic institution.
But NAFSA said that data is "known to be deeply flawed." Feldblum similarly called it "highly flawed and selective." Both cited a June report from the National Foundation for American Policy, which conducts public policy research.
Researchers at the nonprofit found that Trump's June travel ban "significantly overstates the number of overstays from individual countries" in part by counting people who already left the country and people who changed status inside the U.S.
"The overstay report allowed for a veneer of data to justify predetermined policy decisions," the foundation report said. It added that the U.S. Department of State could address overstays by denying individual applications from people they suspect will overstay — "a less draconian approach than banning everyone in that country from entering the United States."
Nigeria first became a top 10 country for international students in 2020-21 and has held that status since. In 2024-25, almost 22,000 Nigerian students studied in the U.S.
The number of foreign students from Nigeria studying in the U.S. has risen steadily for at least a decade and a half, except for a small dip during the height of the pandemic, according to Open Doors data.
Countries facing travel restrictions as of Jan. 1 2026
*extended from June travel ban.
**changed from partial restrictions under June travel ban.
***applies only to immigrant visas.
The new proclamation moves two countries — Laos and Sierra Leone — from partial to full travel restrictions. It is lowering restrictions on only one country: Turkmenistan.
Trump will allow nonimmigrant visas, like student visas, to be processed for Turkmenistani citizens "because Turkmenistan has engaged productively with the United States and demonstrated significant progress since the previous Proclamation," Trump's proclamation said.
Turkmenistan's embassy on Wednesday said the country had shown "substantial progress in improving identity-management and information-sharing procedures."
Immigrants from Turkmenistan will continue to be denied entry.
