By Violet Ikong

On December 18, as part of a broad immigration crackdown, President Donald Trump approved the suspension of the U.S. Green Card lottery program. The pause followed a shooting incident that took place at Brown University in Rhode Island on December 13.

According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the suspect in the shooting came into the U.S. through the lottery program in 2017, and as such, the program is being suspended “…to ensure no more Americans are harmed.” 

This development leaves nationals of more than 50 eligible African countries unable to apply to enter the U.S. through the program. Previously, up to 50,000 immigrants from around the world were chosen from a pool of millions to enter the U.S. each year through the program. 

Nearly half of Africa on travel restrictions

Two days before the lottery program was suspended, Trump issued a presidential proclamation adding 20 new countries to the list of those with travel restrictions. In June, he had issued a travel ban on 19 countries. Many of the countries on the list are African.

Starting January 1, 2026, citizens of nearly half the countries on the African continent will be denied entry into the U.S., with limited exceptions for holders of certain diplomatic and official visas. 

Out of the 39 countries now on the full and partial travel ban list, about 66% are African. 

The administration says that the executive order is aimed at “protecting the security of the United States.” The affected countries are described as having “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing.” 

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Criteria cited for adding a country to the travel ban list are terrorism, a high rate of visa overstays, or a refusal to allow nationals that the U.S. has ordered deported back into their country of origin. 

Fully restricted countries 

According to the executive order, nationals from some countries will be completely blocked from entering the U.S., while people from other countries will be partially restricted.

Citizens of seven African countries—Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan—have already been under entry restrictions, and these will continue, according to the new order. 

Now the Central Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which are all controlled by military leaders, have been added to the list. Reasons cited are security concerns involving terrorism, armed conflicts, and kidnapping. 


Sierra Leone and South Sudan have been added to the list also, with visa overstays and a refusal to accept deported citizens reasons cited for the restriction.

According to the presidential proclamation, nationals from some countries will be partially restricted. This means that people from these countries can no longer apply for immigrant visas to move to the U.S. permanently. They also can’t enter the U.S. on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J non-immigrant visas. 

These countries include Angola, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Leaders of affected African countries have yet to comment on Trump’s new visa restrictions.

Exceptions

The presidential proclamation says permanent residents or dual citizens of the countries on the lists will not be affected provided they travel to the U.S. on a passport issued by a non-affected country. 

The restrictions also exempt holders of A, C, and G visas, which are issued to diplomats, government officials, and staff of international organizations who must travel to the U.S. to conduct official business.

Others exempted include athletes and athletic team members entering the U.S. for sporting events, and foreign nationals who served the U.S. government abroad and have special immigrant visas.

What the restrictions mean for Africa

The new visa rules mean that many people from Africa, including students hoping to pursue their educational dreams, will now face significant barriers and in most cases will not be able to enter the U.S.

The affected African countries are yet to react or issue statements about the proclamation. 

But as the January 1 implementation deadline looms, these governments are facing pressure to respond to the new restrictions, which are bound to shape migration patterns and diplomatic relations under Trump’s America First policy.