Travel Advisories for Foreign Nationals Entering the United States
Foreign nationals who are entering the United States or applying for visas or other travel benefits from outside the United States are advised that travel requirements and restrictions under the Trump administration may change quickly.
Mintz will be tracking travel bans and other travel warnings, and this page will be updated with new information as it arises.
Termination of Humanitarian Parole Programs
On January 20, 2025, a Trump administration executive order included language instructing the termination of the “CHNV” Humanitarian Parole program, which was available to certain individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. No new applications for CHNV can be filed. At present, Humanitarian Parole for these individuals has not been terminated, but we expect the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate parole status for these individuals soon, which will leave most of these individuals without lawful status and subject to removal proceedings.
Otherwise, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has confirmed that individuals with valid parole documents are still admissible to the United States. This was confirmed in a CBP Carrier Liaison Program update .
Multiple reports indicate that some individuals have been denied entry by CBP when presenting valid Form I-512 Advance Parole documents. Travelers can validate their entry documents with their airline prior to boarding a flight to the United States. Individuals entering the United States with a valid Form I-512 parole document, or with a Significant Public Benefit Parole approval, should also print out a copy of the CBP update.
Travel Bans
The Trump administration has announced that a new travel ban would be implemented within 60 days of the president’s inauguration.
We expect a new travel ban to be announced soon. In the prior Trump administration, later travel bans had a one-week notice period before taking effect. We would expect new travel bans to have a similar effective date. Foreign nationals who are abroad would be wise to remain travel-ready to return to the United States if new travel bans are enacted.
Potential Delays in Visa Processing at US Consular Posts
The Department of State (DOS) could both reduce staffing at United States embassies and consulates and increase the frequency of initiating “administrative processing” for visa applicants. Administrative processing delays visa issuance until the US Department of State (DOS) can conduct additional background screening. Foreign nationals who are traveling internationally and who must apply for a visa to return to the United States should plan for possible delays in visa processing.
Additional information on administrative processing for visa applicants can be found in our Mintz Resource Memo .
Limited Visa Appointment Availability
DOS announced on February 18, 2025 that it was restricting the categories of applicants who are eligible for a waiver of the in-person interview requirement for a nonimmigrant (temporary) visa. Previously, many nonimmigrant visa applicants were granted a waiver of the in-person interview requirement if they were applying for a visa in the same visa classification and had a prior visa that had expired less than 48 months ago.
The new policy restricts interview waiver eligibility to applicants who are applying for a visa in the same visa classification and had a prior visa that had expired less than 12 months ago; and to applicants of A, G, or NATO visas, or diplomatic visas. As was the case with the previous policy, applicants must also meet the following criteria:
- apply in their country of nationality or residence;
- have never been refused a visa (unless such refusal was overcome or waived); and
- have no apparent or potential ineligibility.
This new policy will place additional demand for in-person visa appointments, and will likely result in longer delays in obtaining visa appointments at US consular posts.
Potential Increases in CBP Searches of Electronic Devices
CBP has the right to search an individual’s mobile phone, computer, camera, or other electronic devices while he or she is being inspected for admission to the US CBP’s use of these searches is based on the stated goal “to identify and combat terrorist activity, child pornography, drug smuggling, human smuggling, bulk cash smuggling, human trafficking, export control violations, intellectual property rights violations and visa fraud.” Travelers should be aware of this possibility and should restrict access to any sensitive company data if it is accessible on their phone or computer.
For further questions about travel risks and restrictions, please contact your Mintz Immigration attorney .
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