Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States
On December 16, 2025, the White House issued a new entry proclamation that modifies and expands the June 4, 2025 framework. It takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on January 1, 2026.
The proclamation keeps the basic structure of a country-based entry suspension, but it broadens the country list, adds additional covered categories, and tightens the operational rules that control who can enter and under what circumstances.
The most consequential general change is that the December 16 proclamation narrows categorical exceptions, especially by pulling back the earlier approach that treated certain family-based immigrant visas as a broad automatic exception.
For countries already covered under the June 4 proclamation, including Iran, the December 16 proclamation states that its exceptions will control going forward.
This matters because entry bans do not usually turn on whether a person is “eligible” for a visa category on paper. They turn on whether the government will allow issuance and admission at the border as a matter of policy. The December 16 changes therefore alter outcomes for nationals of covered countries who are outside the United States and do not already hold valid visas on the effective date, while also shifting more cases into a discretionary “national interest” pathway rather than predictable, category-based processing.
What the June 4 Proclamation Did
On June 4, 2025, the White House issued Proclamation 10949, effective June 9, 2025. It created a country-based entry restriction framework under the President’s INA 212(f) authority, built around two tiers.
First, it fully suspended entry, both immigrant and nonimmigrant, for nationals of 12 countries, including Iran. Second, it partially suspended entry for nationals of 7 other countries, generally by blocking specific visa classes and directing consular officers to shorten validity for others.
A key operational feature mattered then and still matters now. The restrictions were not retroactive in the broad sense. They applied only to people who were outside the United States on the effective date and did not already have a valid visa on that date.
June 4 also included a comparatively wide set of categorical exceptions, including an explicit carve-out for certain immediate-family immigrant visas where identity and the relationship were strongly documented, plus adoption-based immigrant visas. It also created case-by-case national-interest exceptions controlled at the top levels of government.
What the December 16 Proclamation Changed Generally
The December 16 proclamation does two big things.
- It expands the scope of the program. It continues the full restrictions for the original 12 countries and adds seven more countries to the full-suspension list. It also expands partial restrictions to 15 additional countries and adds a new restriction tied to Palestinian Authority travel documents.
- It narrows exceptions, especially for family-based immigration. Family-based immigrant visas will no longer function as a broad automatic exception and are pushed into a case-by-case channel rather than a categorical family carve-out.
It also makes the December 16 exceptions the controlling exceptions for the original June 4 covered countries going forward.
Finally, it sets a new effective date of January 1, 2026, and repeats the same scope concept. People already holding visas as of the effective date are not the target, and visas issued before that date are not revoked under this proclamation.
What Has Changed for Iranian Nationals
For Iranian nationals, the headline is not that Iran is newly restricted. Iran was already in the fully restricted group under June 4. The December 16 change that matters most is the elimination of the broad family-based immigrant visa carve-out.
Family-based immigrant visas will no longer be a broad categorical exception. In their place is a much tighter exception set, plus a case-by-case national-interest channel.
At the same time, one Iran-specific carve-out is preserved. Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran remain carved out.
Operationally, entry to the United States by Iranian nationals is suspended unless they fall into an exception or receive discretionary national-interest approval. The December 16 proclamation confirms Iran remains in the continued full-suspension group.
Who Is Affected and Who Is Not
The restrictions apply only to Iranian nationals who meet both conditions.
- They are outside the United States on the effective date.
- They do not hold a valid visa on that date.
As a result, Iranians already inside the United States are not barred from remaining. The rule is framed as an entry restriction, not a status-termination rule. New visa issuance and new travel planning are where the restriction bites.
Remaining Categorical Exceptions
- Lawful permanent residents.
- Dual nationals traveling on a non-designated passport.
- Certain diplomatic and official visa classes.
- Certain major international sports-event travel.
- Certain special immigrant visas tied to U.S. Government service.
- Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
Notably missing is the broad immediate-family immigrant visa exception that existed under the June framework. That categorical channel is now closed.
The Waiver Channel and Likely Practice
The December 16 proclamation preserves a discretionary national-interest waiver controlled by DOJ, State, and DHS. It creates no application form and no enforceable right.
- No standalone waiver application.
- Embedded inside normal visa adjudication.
- Washington-level referral and concurrence.
- High discretion and limited transparency.
- Significant risk of administrative delay.
The waiver exists on paper but functions as an internal permission process rather than a predictable benefit.
Forward-Looking Assessment
The December 16 proclamation makes the policy direction explicit. It expands coverage, narrows automatic exceptions, and shifts outcomes into discretionary national-interest handling.
The decisive factor will be implementation. Outcomes will be driven by consular practice, screening layers, and interagency coordination rather than legal eligibility alone. Implementation data will take time to emerge after January 1, 2026, and early outcomes are likely to be uneven, especially for individuals outside the United States who require new visa issuance and admission decisions.
