The U.S. notified H-1B visa holders from the 12 countries listed in the recent travel ban had until June 9 to enter the United States.
Starting June 10, the ban restricts issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas for nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Their citizens cannot enter the U.S. and obtain immigrant visas for permanent residency and non-immigrant visas.
If they did not enter the U.S. by then, their visas are void. Even if they hold a valid H-1B, says attorney Michael Piston from Piston Law.
The same situation applies to anyone from these 12 countries with another valid U.S. visa.
Only “exceptional” H-1B visa holders can enter the U.S. after the deadline
From now on, the only legal way for these individuals to enter is if they qualify for a specific exemption or are granted a national interest exception.
For those visa holders already in the U.S. by June 9, 2025, their visas remain valid.
The American Immigration Council reports that the 12 countries have received a total of 13,507 immigrant visas and 57,146 non-immigrant visas, based on government data.
H-1B visa issue to partially-banned countries not affected
In contrast, the travel ban partially restricts the issuance of U.S. non-immigrant visas to nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
However, they can enter the U.S. after June 9.
“They may continue to enter using visa categories not listed in the ban (e.g., H, L, O), provided they are otherwise admissible,” says Matthew Kolodziej from JLG Law.
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