President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a proclamation expanding the list of countries with full or partial travel restrictions to 39 as the US administration continues to tighten entry requirements and immigration standards.
According to a White House statement, the listed countries had demonstrated "persistent and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing".
"The restrictions and limitations imposed by the proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives," it said.
While seven countries were added to the full travel ban list, 15 new countries will now face partial restrictions, CNN reported. The changes go into effect on January 1.
Countries added to the full travel ban list: Laos, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. (Laos and Sierra Leone were already in the list of partial restrictions while South Sudan was also facing significant travel restrictions).
People travelling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority have also been included in the list of countries facing a full ban on travel to the US.
Countries added to the partial travel ban list: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Countries currently facing full US travel ban: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Countries currently facing partial US travel ban: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The restrictions apply to both people seeking to travel to the US as visitors or to emigrate there. However, people who already have visas, are lawful permanent residents of the US or have certain visa categories such as diplomats or athletes, or whose entry into the country is believed to serve the US interest, are all exempt from the restrictions.