Internal memo reveals details of Trump's potential visa ban on Pakistan, other countries

United States (US) is considering issuing broad travel restrictions for the citizens of dozens of countries as part of a new ban, Reuters has reported.

The internal memo lists a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups. Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea, among others, are in the first group of 10 countries that would face full visa suspensions.

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

In the third group, Pakistan and 25 countries, including Belarus, Chad and Turkmenistan, are being considered for potential partial suspension of U.S. visa issuance. This action would be considered if their governments fail to address identified deficiencies within 60 days, according to Reuters.

A U.S. official told Reuters on the condition of not being named that there could be changes on the list and that it had yet to be approved by the administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The move harkens back to President Donald Trump's first-term ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

On January 20, Trump issued an executive order requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the U.S. to detect national security threats.

That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”

Trump's directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.
He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security.”

The memo categorizes 41 countries into three distinct groups.

Countries that would face complete visa restrictions:

Afghanistan
Cuba
Iran 
Libya
North Korea
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Venezuela
Yemen

Countries that would face partial visa suspension:

Eritrea
Haiti
Laos
Myanmar
South Sudan

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

Antigua and Barbuda 
Angola 
Bhutan 
Belarus 
Benin 
Burkina Faso 
Chad 
Cabo Verde 
Cambodia 
Cameroon 
Democratic Republic of the Congo 
Dominica 
Equatorial Guinea 
Gambia 
Liberia 
Mauritania 
Malawi 
Pakistan 
Republic of the Congo 
Saint Kitts and Nevis 
Sierra Leone 
Saint Lucia 
Sao Tome and Principe 
East Timor 
Turkmenistan 
Vanuatu

However, as per the New York Times, Pakistan, along with Russia, Belarus, and Turkmenistan, is on the proposed Orange list of the Trump Administration, where only citizens holding business visas would be allowed to enter the US. Immigrant and tourist visas would not be allowed to enter the US.