Proclamation 9983 expands travel restrictions to six additional countries

Policy effect

The President expanded country-specific entry restrictions to certain nationals of Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania, primarily affecting immigrant visas and diversity visas.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

United States Government to correct their outstanding deficiencies, and the United States believes progress is imminent for several countries and underway for others. For these reasons, these countries will be given an opportunity to show specific improvements in their deficiencies within the next 180 days. Consistent with recommendations contained in the January 2020 proposal, I have decided to leave unaltered the existing entry restrictions imposed by Proclamation 9645, as amended by Proclamation 9723, and to impose tailored entry restrictions and limitations on nationals from six additional … countries. I have decided not to impose any nonimmigrant visa restrictions for the newly identified countries, which substantially reduces the number of people affected by the proposed restrictions. Like the seven countries that continue to face travel restrictions pursuant to Proclamation 9645, the six additional countries recommended for restrictions in the January 2020 proposal are among the worst performing in the world. However, there are prospects for near-term improvement for these six countries. Each has a functioning government and each maintains productive relations with the United States. Most of the newly identified countries have expressed a willingness to work with the United States to address their deficiencies, although it may take some time to identify and implement specific solutions to resolve the deficiencies. Consistent with the January 2020 proposal, I have prioritized restricting immigrant visa travel over nonimmigrant visa travel because of the challenges of removing an individual in the United States who was admitted with an immigrant visa if, after admission to the United States, the individual is discovered to have terrorist connections, criminal ties, or … of Diversity Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c). Such a suspension represents a less severe limit compared to a general restriction on immigrant visas, given the significantly fewer number of aliens affected. The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security considers foreign-government-supplied information especially important for screening and vetting the Diversity Visa population in comparison to other immigrant visa applicants, and I agree with that assessment. In many cases, the United States Government may not have the same amount of information about Diversity … would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and that their entry should be subject to certain restrictions, limitations, and exceptions. I therefore hereby proclaim the following: Section 1. Suspension of Entry for Nationals of Countries of Identified Concern. The entry into the United States of nationals of the following countries is hereby suspended and limited, as follows, subject to section 2 of this proclamation. (a) The entry suspensions and limitations enacted by section 2 of Proclamation 9645 are not altered by this proclamation, and they remain in force by their terms, … immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the United States Government, is hereby suspended. (c) Eritrea (i) Eritrea does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics. Eritrea does not issue electronic passports or adequately share several types of information, including public-safety and terrorism-related information, that are necessary for the protection of the national security and public safety of the United States. Further, Eritrea is currently subject to several … sharing criteria. (ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Eritrea as immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the United States Government, is hereby suspended. (d) Kyrgyzstan (i) Kyrgyzstan does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics. Kyrgyzstan does not issue electronic passports or adequately share several types of information, including public-safety and terrorism-related information, that are necessary for the protection of the national security and public safety of the United States. Kyrgyzstan also presents an elevated risk, relative to other countries in the world, of terrorist travel to the United States, though it has been responsive to United States diplomatic engagement on the need to make improvements. (ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Kyrgyzstan as immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the United States Government, is hereby suspended. (e) Nigeria (i) Nigeria does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing … invalidates lost and stolen passports and fraudulently obtained travel documents. Because Sudan performed somewhat better than the countries listed earlier in this proclamation and is making important reforms to its system of government, different travel restrictions are warranted. (ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Sudan as Diversity Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c), is hereby suspended. (g) Tanzania (i) Tanzania does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics. Tanzania …

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Other United States changes operative in 2020

• 2020-02-01Advance USCIS permission removed for qualifying consular I-130 filings
• 2020-02-01Routine I-130 processing ends at most USCIS international offices
• 2020-02-02Suspension of Entry for Aliens Physically Present in China
• 2020-02-24Nationwide Implementation of the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds Final Rule
• 2020-03-01Implementation of the H-1B Electronic Registration Process
• 2020-03-02Suspension of Entry for Individuals Present in Iran
• 2020-03-13Suspension of Entry for Persons Present in the Schengen Area
• 2020-03-16Suspension of entry for aliens physically present in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland
• 2020-03-18Somalia TPS designation extended through September 17, 2021
• 2020-03-20CDC Title 42 Public Health Border Suspension Order
• 2020-03-26Citizenship residence exception created for qualifying children living abroad
• 2020-04-23Presidential Proclamation 10014 Suspending Entry of Immigrants Risking the Labor Market
• 2020-05-26Brazil COVID-19 entry restriction begins on amended date
• 2020-06-24Proclamation 10052 suspends entry for H-1B, H-2B, J, and L workers
• 2020-07-28DHS Reconsideration and Interim Limitation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
• 2020-08-21Removal of 30-Day Processing Provision for Form I-765 Employment Authorizations for Asylum Applicants
• 2020-08-21Temporary Travel Restrictions at Land Ports of Entry (U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico Borders)
• 2020-08-25Revisions to Asylum Application, Interview, and Employment Authorization for Applicants
• 2020-09-23DHS temporarily requires government-provided interpreters for many asylum interviews
• 2020-10-02DHS finalizes USCIS fee schedule and fee-waiver changes
• 2020-10-08Department of Labor Interim Final Rule Strengthening Wage Protections for Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Workers
• 2020-11-18USCIS Policy Manual Update: Lawful Admission Prerequisite for Naturalization
• 2020-12-01Redesigned civics test introduced for new naturalization applications
• 2020-12-07DHS narrows H-1B specialty occupation and third-party placement rules