President of the United States of America Donald Trump confirmed the expansion of the travel ban and restrictions imposed on over 30 countries.
Two small Caribbean states—Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica—were added this week to the United States’ updated list of countries facing partial entry restrictions, widening a policy that already included Cuba and Haiti among affected Caribbean nations.
The expanded restrictions are scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026, under a presidential proclamation that the White House framed as a national-security measure focused on screening, vetting, and information-sharing gaps.
Under the December 16 proclamation, Haiti remains under a full suspension of entry dating back to the June 2025 proclamation, while Cuba remains under partial restrictions that the administration continued. The new change for the region is the addition of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica—both of which operate citizenship-by-investment programs—to the partial-restrictions category.
Travel Ban Basics: What a “Full” vs. “Partial” Restriction Means
The proclamation draws a sharp line between full suspensions and partial suspensions. In general terms, a full ban suspends entry for both immigrant and non-immigrant travel, while partial restrictions typically suspend entry (and visa issuance) for specified visa classes and require tighter limitations on others.
The legal foundation cited by the administration is the president’s authority under U.S. immigration law to suspend entry of foreign nationals deemed “detrimental” to U.S. interests, and the proclamation notes the Supreme Court previously upheld similar restrictions.
Operationally, the new restrictions are not designed to retroactively cancel travel for everyone connected to a listed country. The scope described in government and immigration guidance emphasizes that the rules generally apply to nationals who are outside the United States on January 1, 2026 and do not already hold a valid visa on that date; existing visas are not automatically revoked solely because of the proclamation.
The Caribbean on the List: Haiti, Cuba, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica
For Caribbean travelers, the headline is that the policy now touches multiple parts of the region in different ways:
Haiti (full ban category): The December proclamation explicitly lists Haiti among the countries whose nationals continue to face a full suspension of entry, carried over from June 2025.
Cuba (partial restriction category): Cuba remains among the countries subject to continued partial restrictions.
Antigua and Barbuda (new partial restriction): The proclamation specifies that entry is suspended for Antiguan nationals seeking immigrant visas and several major nonimmigrant categories, including B-1/B-2 (business/tourism) and F/M/J (student and exchange) visas, with direction to reduce validity for other visa types where permitted.
Dominica (new partial restriction): Dominica is treated similarly, with the same set of visa categories specifically named for suspension and reduced-validity guidance for other visas.
Why These Two Islands Were Added: Citizenship-by-Investment Under Scrutiny
Unlike many countries cited for terrorism risks, conflict, or overstay rates, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica are singled out in the proclamation for a different reason: citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programs without historical residency requirements. The White House proclamation explicitly flags that concern for both countries.
Caribbean officials, however, have pushed back on the premise. Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the government was “deeply disappointed” by the inclusion of his country on the stated CBI rationale. The same reporting notes Antigua has recently moved to add a mandatory physical residency requirement and says it engaged U.S. agencies to strengthen safeguards.
Dominica’s government has taken a more measured public posture, saying it is seeking urgent clarity on the scope and implications for travelers, students, and families and engaging U.S. authorities through the embassy channel.
The move is also notable for what it did not do: other Caribbean countries with similar CBI models—such as Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia—were not included in the December proclamation, according to reporting focused on the investment-migration industry.
Wider Context: A Rapid Expansion, and the Political Arguments Around It
Nationally, the expansion is part of a broader enlargement of U.S. entry restrictions: the administration added new countries to the full-ban list and expanded the partial-restrictions list at the same time. Reuters described the White House rationale as targeting countries with “severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing.”
Critics argue the policy is overly broad and risks separating families and disrupting legitimate travel. In the Washington Post’s coverage, #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver condemned “the use of tragedy as a political cudgel to justify policies that will separate families.”
What Travelers Should Watch Next
For travelers from the affected Caribbean countries, the practical questions are less about tourism headlines and more about documentation: whether you already hold a valid visa, which visa class you plan to use, and whether any categorical exceptions or waivers apply. Immigration law firms and academic mobility organizations have advised that the key trigger is often being outside the U.S. on the effective date without a valid visa, and that dual nationals may be able to travel using a passport from a non-designated country.
