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A draft travel ban created by President Donald Trump’s Administration would restrict or ban citizens of 43 new countries from entering the United States. The potential ban threatens student visa status, study abroad and exchange programs.

Nearly 20% of Syracuse University’s student body are international students, with many from the countries the ban would affect. In March, the New York Times obtained a draft of the ban, created by diplomatic and security officials under Trump’s Administration.

Here’s what the draft ban could mean for SU students.

What countries would be affected by the proposed ban?

The ban sorts the countries into three categories: red, orange and yellow. The categories determine the degree of travel that will be banned.

The red category includes 11 countries that would be completely banned from entering the U.S. This category includes Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Citizens from these countries who wish to study in the U.S. or who currently have visas will be barred from entering the country, according to the current proposal.

The orange category includes 10 countries that would be banned from traveling on immigrant and tourist visas, but might not affect those traveling for business. The orange category includes Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan. Citizens from these countries may be subject to mandatory in-person interviews to obtain a visa.

The yellow category identifies 22 countries that would be on probation for around 60 days. In that case, if they fail to update their border security policies, they risk being moved to the orange or red category.

This includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe. The draft travel ban identified these countries to have perceived deficiencies, the New York Times reported.

The draft does not address what would happen to citizens from the targeted countries who currently hold residential status. However, the Trump administration started revoking visas from international students without prior notice, including SU. The Trump administration reversed until a new system to assess student legal status was created. The next steps with this new system remain unclear.

Why is the ban proposed?

The draft ban corresponds with Trump’s executive order aimed at protecting the nation from foreign terrorists and public safety threats, passed on Jan. 20.

The draft order outlines the Trump administration’s desire to protect citizens by enhancing screening procedures for immigrants, refugees and visa applicants, particularly from “high-risk countries.” The ban seeks to add these provisions to the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Trump also ordered travel bans during his first term, enacting a Muslim travel ban in January 2017, citing a national security threat. The Supreme Court initially blocked Trump’s orders, but were eventually upheld.

Why is the potential ban important?

Travel bans can impact the U.S. travel industry and may change U.S. citizens’ ability to travel to countries in these categories.

Though Canada is not listed, the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services issued an interim final rule requiring Canadians who wish to stay in the U.S past 30 days to register with U.S. authorities. The ban caused European countries and Canada to issue advisories for citizens traveling to the U.S.

The ban is still in its initial phases and the list of impacted countries may change, the NYT reported.

Published on May 1, 2025 at 1:40 am