U.S. Travel Ban 2025: What Canadian Travel Advisors Need to Know

On June 4, 2025, U.S. President Trump signed an Executive Order that will suspend entry to the United States for nationals of 19 countries, effective June 9, 2025, at 12:01 AM EDT.

The Executive Order implements two levels of restrictions:

Full Suspension of 12 Countries

Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen

Impact: Complete ban on ALL visa types - both immigrant and non-immigrant

Partial Suspension of 7 Countries

Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela

Impact:

• All immigrant visas banned
• Specific non immigrant visas banned: B-1/B-2 (tourism/business), F (academic students), M (vocational students), J (exchange visitors)
• Other visa types allowed but with reduced validity periods

Ban effective June 9

The ban takes effect June 9, 2025, at 12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time.

• Clients must be inside the US before this deadline to avoid restrictions
• Existing valid visas issued before June 9 will NOT be revoked
• Anyone outside the US without a valid visa on June 9 will be subject to the ban

Dual Nationals

Dual nationals are EXEMPT if traveling on a passport from a non-banned country.

Examples:

• Iranian-Canadian traveling on Canadian passport: ALLOWED
• Iranian-Canadian traveling on Iranian passport: PROHIBITED
• Haitian-Canadian traveling on Canadian passport: ALLOWED
• Cuban-Canadian traveling on Canadian passport: ALLOWED

The passport used for travel determines eligibility, not the person's nationalities.

Who Is NOT Affected

The ban does NOT apply to:

• US lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders)
• People already inside the US
• Holders of valid visas issued before June 9, 2025
• Diplomatic visa holders (A-1, A-2, G visas, NATO visas)
• Athletes/teams traveling for major sporting events
• Certain family-based immigrant visas

Transit Passengers

The ban applies even to transit through US airports. Affected nationals cannot transit through the US to reach other destinations.

Cruise Passengers

Cruises with US ports will be impacted. Affected nationals may be denied boarding even if the cruise doesn't originate in the US.

Pre-Existing Bookings

Review force majeure clauses and travel insurance policies. The ban may qualify as a covered reason for cancellation.

2025-06-05 11:55:06