A White House proclamation imposing full and partial entry bans for nationals from 19 countries could disrupt American employers’ hiring and retention of foreign workers. The proclamation took effect June 9.
Full entry bans apply to 12 countries, and partial restrictions apply to seven countries. The full bans apply to Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The partial bans apply to visitor, student, and exchange visas from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The ban does not affect employees from these countries who were already in the United States with valid visas on June 9. Foreign nationals with valid visas issued before June 9 who are outside the United States may face travel delays or complications. Nationals from countries with full bans who did not have a visa on June 9 will be unable to obtain one for employment purposes for the foreseeable future. Nationals from partially restricted countries may still qualify for work visas — such as H-1Bs — but their visas will be valid for a shorter time period.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here.