President Trump set to slap travel ban & restrictions on 43 countries including Russia and Belarus with 11 nations on the ‘red’ list
Since before taking office, President Trump has strongly pledged a crackdown on immigration into America
March 16, 2025
PRESIDENT DONALD Trump is set to introduce sweeping travel restrictions on 43 countries, including Russia and Belarus, in a dramatic immigration crackdown.
The proposed policy — yet to be finalized — divides nations into three categories, with some facing full visa suspensions and others subject to partial restrictions.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to slap several nations with immigration bans or restrictions. Credit: Reuters
Vladimir Putin's Russia is among the 43 countries potentially affected. Credit: AP
Since before taking office on January 20, Trump has strongly pledged a crackdown on immigration into America. Credit: Getty
According to a memo seen by The New York Times, Russian visas will reportedly be “sharply restricted,” while Belarusian travelers could see their access to the U.S. heavily curtailed.
Nations on the list have been warned they will remain banned unless their governments “address deficiencies within 60 days.”
The draft policy names 11 countries - including Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea - as facing the most severe restrictions, with full visa suspensions.
A second group of 10 nations would face partial suspensions affecting tourist, student, and immigration visas, with some exceptions.
A third group of 22 countries could also see visa issuance restricted if they fail to address security concerns.
These alleged issues include weak passport security, inadequate traveler data sharing, or the sale of citizenships to individuals from already-banned nations.
A U.S. official told The New York Times that the list could still change and has yet to receive final approval from the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Flashback to the ‘Muslim Ban’
The move echoes President Trump's controversial 2017 travel ban, which targeted several Muslim-majority countries before being overturned by fake Joe Biden in 2021.
Some nations from the original 'Muslim Ban' list appear again, but the new proposal has expanded significantly.
Critics have questioned why certain nations - such as Bhutan, known for its low crime rate - are included, while major global players like China and India are absent.
Rich businessmen and visa holders from some affected nations could still enter the U.S. under a restricted category.
But they would need to attend mandatory in-person interviews to secure travel approval, The New York Times reports.
Wartime crackdown
The travel ban proposal comes as President Trump navigates ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The president warned last night that World War III could “very easily” erupt if peace talks fail, stating: “This would be a war like no other because of nuclear weapons and other types of weapons that you don’t even want to know about.”
President Trump has been in direct talks with Vladimir Putin, urging Russia to spare Ukrainian soldiers trapped in the Kursk region.
In response, Putin said he was “sympathetic” to President Trump’s request but insisted Kyiv must order its troops to surrender.
The escalating global tensions have cast a shadow over Trump’s immigration policies, which he has made a pillar of his presidency.
He previously vowed to launch “the largest deportation effort in American history” and has taken early steps, including revoking the green card of Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Columbia University graduate involved in Gaza war protests.
Khalil’s arrest has sparked fierce debate over free speech and immigration rights, with critics accusing President Trump of targeting foreign students for political reasons.
The State Department has yet to comment on the proposed travel restrictions, and it remains unclear whether individuals with existing visas or green cards will be exempt.
'Gold card' visas
President Trump previously announced he wants to begin selling gold card visas for $5million to foreigners who want to move to America and create jobs.
GOLDEN TICKET
President Trump reveals VIP visa plan and says he wants to sell GOLD CARDS for $5 million to get mega-rich foreigners into the United States
They were branded as a 'more sophisticated' green card
President Trump said the programme could start in about two weeks. Credit: Getty Images
The US president revealed the immigration program in late February, which could start in a matter of weeks.
He added it is possible Russian oligarchs could qualify for the gold cards, which were branded as “somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication".
President Trump said in the Oval Office:
“We're going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million and that's going to give you Green Card privileges, plus it's going to be a route to citizenship.
“Wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card.
"They'll be wealthy, and they'll be successful, and they'll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people.
"And we think it's going to be extremely successful and never been done before.”
The President hopes those joining the scheme will be 'spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes to help the US economy
Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, explained that the Trump administration intends to end the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program and “replace it with the Trump gold card.”
The EB-5 program grants investors the opportunity to apply for permanent U.S. residence if they “make the necessary investment in a commercial enterprise in the United States” and intend to generate or sustain 10 permanent full-time jobs.
Lutnick described the EB-5 program as “full of nonsense, make-believe and fraud,” adding, “It was a way to get a green card that was low priced.”
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