Chicago Immigration Lawyer Blog
When the federal government changes the rules of entry overnight, families and employers feel the impact first and they feel it hardest. The immigration lawyers at the Law Office of Zneimer & Zneimer read the proclamation text, and can assist in mapping it to visa categories, and develop a plan that fits the client’s facts.
The legal engine: INA 212(f) plus a moving country list
The President issued Proclamation 10949 on June 4, 2025, then expanded and modified the framework in Proclamation 10998 on December 16, 2025. Proclamation 10998 takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on January 1, 2026.
Proclamation 10998 narrows prior categorical exceptions. It specifically states that “immigrant visas for family members” will no longer operate as a broad categorical exception, and it pushes extraordinary cases into discretionary national interest pathways.
Who faces a complete ban
Proclamation 10998 separates restrictions into layers. The highest layer functions as a full suspension for both immigrant and nonimmigrant entry.
Continued full suspension from the June proclamation
These 12 countries remain fully suspended under the June framework and the December proclamation continues them:
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen.
New full suspension added by the December proclamation
Proclamation 10998 adds 7 countries to the full suspension list:
- Burkina Faso
- Laos
- Mali
- Niger
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
- Syria.
Full suspension tied to Palestinian Authority travel documents
Proclamation 10998 also fully suspends entry for individuals who seek to travel on travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority, for both immigrant and nonimmigrant travel.
- Palestinian Authority
Who faces a partial ban
The proclamations also impose partial suspensions targeting certain visa types and, in some cases, shorten the validity of visas for other categories through consular practice.
Continued partial suspension from the June proclamation, with a key modification
The December proclamation continues partial restrictions for these countries:
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Togo
- Venezuela.
It also modifies Turkmenistan. The December proclamation lifts the suspension for Turkmenistan nonimmigrant entry on B 1, B 2, B 1/B 2, F, M, and J, but it keeps the immigrant entry suspension in place.
New partial suspension added by the December proclamation
Proclamation 10998 adds 15 countries for partial restrictions:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe.
The text explains that these restrictions distinguish between immigrants and nonimmigrants and, for countries listed in the partial section, it typically suspends immigrant entry and suspends entry on specific high volume nonimmigrant categories such as B, F, M, and J, while directing consular officers to reduce validity for other nonimmigrant visas to the extent permitted by law.
The scope clause: who the proclamations do not reach
Even if a person comes from a listed country, the December proclamation limits who falls inside the restriction. It applies only to foreign nationals who are
- outside the United States on the effective date and who
- do not have a valid visa on the effective date.
That scope language drives real outcomes. Many cases turn on timing, visa validity, location, and the choice of travel document.
Categorical exemptions that still exist
Proclamation 10998 lists exceptions that remove a person from the ban category altogether. These include:
- Lawful permanent residents.
- Dual nationals traveling on a passport issued by a non designated country.
- Certain diplomatic and international organization visa classifications, including A 1, A 2, C 2, C 3, G 1 through G 4, and NATO 1 through NATO .
- Athletes and associated essential personnel, plus immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or another major sporting event as the Secretary of State determines.
- Special Immigrant Visas for United States Government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D).
- Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
The December proclamation also states that these exceptions amend and supersede the exceptions in the June proclamation for countries covered by the June sections, starting from the December proclamation date.
Case by case waivers still exist, but they run through “national interest” gates
Proclamation 10998 preserves discretionary exceptions on a case by case basis. It splits authority across agencies:
- The Attorney General can grant exceptions that advance a critical United States national interest involving the Department of Justice, including witness participation in criminal proceedings.
- The Secretary of State can grant exceptions where travel serves a United States national interest, coordinated with DHS
- The Secretary of Homeland Security can grant exceptions where travel serves a United States national interest, coordinated with State.
This waiver structure rewards careful planning. You need a credible record, a tight theory of national interest, and a filing strategy that anticipates how consular officers and DHS will implement the proclamation.
Why clients hire the Law Office of Zneimer & Zneimer in difficult times
These proclamations do not operate like a normal regulation with one clear form and one clear agency. They operate like a multi-agency machine. The same client can face three separate decision points: consular processing, CBP admission at the port, and USCIS adjudication on a petition that feeds the visa.
Zneimer & Zneimer approaches the problem the way the government approaches it – by building admissibility around the scope clause, documenting eligibility for a categorical exception when available, and crafting a waiver narrative when the exception route closes. That is how immigration attorneys protect families, protect businesses, and keep lawful plans alive when the rules shift. Contact us for assistance with your immigration case.