Trump 2025: Extreme Vetting and new Visa Ban

On the day that President Trump was sworn in as 47th President, He signed 25
executive orders. While he addressed many agenda items including De-weaponizing the Justice Department and Reducing Government waste, he also signed executive order 14161,”Protecting the United States from foreign terrorists and other National security and public safety threats” which will affect marriage based immigration clients, those who are hoping to sponsor their fiancees and spouses to immigrate to the USA.

On President Trumps first day in office< January 20, 2025 he signed “Protecting the United States from foreign terrorists and other National
security and public safety threats” .

During his previous term, President Trump had issued executive orders,  commanding US immigration to ban nationals of certain countries from being allowed visas to the USA, the so called “Muslim Ban”, and to conduct a thorough review of the eligibility and backgrounds, of any aliens appling to enter the USA,
so called “Extreme Vetting”

When President Biden was sworn in, his first day in office, he rescinded those orders. Now on DAY 1 of President Trumps new term “Extreme Vetting” is back, and a ban on some foreign nationals is under review by the State Department and may be implemented soon.

The first section of the executive order instructs US immigration to take action in

(i) identifying countries throughout the world for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries

Under the previous Trump administratin, the following countries were affected: Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Somalia,Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Venezuela (government officials only) and Yemen

The State Department has been asked to identify which countries should be fully or partially banned and report this back to President Trump.

The US State Department has not officially released it’s recommendations yet, however a draft of the memo that is being prepared has been leaked.

The memo lists a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups.

Red List: Of countries recommended for full visa suspension.

Orange List: Of countries recommended for partial suspensions

Yellow List: Of countries recommended for partial suspension, if their governments
do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days

The countries on the Red list facing Full visa suspension are:

Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen

The countries on the Orange list facing Partial visa suspension are:

Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, South Sudan

The countries on the Yellow list, also facing partial suspension, IF their governments do not address deficiencies:

Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Turkmenistan, Vanuatu

It’s unclear yet exactly what “partial suspension” of visa issuance means. It might mean only non-immigrant visas such as visitor and studant visas, and may or may not affect fiance or spouse visas.

It’s also unclear whether aliens who have already been issued visas will be affected, whether or not those with valid visas will lose permission to enter the U.S. or if already here will be required to leave.

The State Department memo has yet to be approved by the administration, including the US secretary of State, Marco Rubio,

Changes, and amendments, and the fleshing out of details are underway.For what finally will be ordered, We shall have to wait and see.

In addition to assigning the State Department their homework to make banning recommendations there are two other sections of the executive order, that have already taken affect and have begun to affect visa applications that are in process.

This is the renewal of Extreme Vetting..

The US State Department has been ordered to:

(iii) re-establish a uniform baseline for screening and vetting standards and procedures, consistent with the uniform baseline that existed on January 19, 2021, that will be used for any alien seeking a visa or immigration benefit of any kind; and

(iv) vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States, particularly those aliens coming from regions or nations with identified security risks.

January 19, 2021 is noteworthy as it was the last day of President Trump’s first office. That was the last day his previous order for Extreme Vetting was in effect, until the following day when President Biden took office and immediately rescinded the order.

How “extreme vetting” worked before, was that visa applicants and travelers were subjected to to a range of invasive measures , such as requiring Applicants to

1. Hand over their phones so that contact lists and photos could be examined by embassy or consulate staff

2. Share their social media handles and passwords so that both private and public posts can be viewed.

3. Disclose their previous 15 years’ worth of travel history, employment history and addresses

4. Pass an “ideological test” on their view of society, culture and USA.

From President Trumps speech in 2023 “If you empathize with Radical Islamic terrorists and extremists, you’re DISQUALIFIED. If you want to abolish the state of Israel, you’re DISQUALIFIED. If you support Hamas or the ideology behind Hamas, you’re DISQUALIFIED. And if you’re a Communist, Marxist, or Fascist, you are DISQUALIFIED.”

What is going to happen?

Visa Banning: if it affects the country and and visa you are applying for, will put your case immediately on hold. And that hold might last as long as President Trumps current term of office lasts.

Extreme vetting: expect the application process for ALL immigration to the USA to get more complicated.The reviewers at USCIS and the State Department already have started to add more issues to review and need to make more determinations about,

The overall process will slow and we can expect eligibility requirements to be tightened, that additional and new disclosures,documentation and evidences to be required.

During processing, expect each reviewing officer to “nit pick” your case, As happened during the last Trump Administratin, many more RFE’s,(Requests for Evidence) that normally USCIS would have considered “frivolous” and not issued, will now be regularly issued.

This will cause more work for all concerned, and more delays.

While “extreme vetting” effects everyone, adding months of delays. Having your partners country banned, may add years to your case,