The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors (ACTA) is alerting travel professionals across Canada to a new Executive Order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on June 4, 2025.
The order imposes entry restrictions on nationals of 19 countries, taking effect on June 9, 2025, at 12:01 AM EDT.
The Executive Order introduces two tiers of travel restrictions:
Full Suspension:
Twelve countries are subject to a complete ban on all visa types—both immigrant and non-immigrant.
These include:
Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Partial Suspension:
Seven countries face a partial ban that affects all immigrant visas and specific non-immigrant visas such as B-1/B-2 (tourism/business), F (academic students), M (vocational students), and J (exchange visitors).
These countries are:
Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Other visa types from these nations may still be issued, but with shortened validity.
Details for Advisors:
- Canadian passport holders are not affected, regardless of national origin.
Example: An Iranian-Canadian traveling on a Canadian passport is allowed entry. However, someone traveling on an Iranian passport is prohibited. - Transit through U.S. airports is not permitted for nationals of the affected countries, even if they are only passing through en route to another destination.
- The ban does not apply to U.S. green card holders, people already inside the United States, holders of valid visas issued before June 9, or diplomatic visa holders (A, G, NATO visas). Athletes participating in major sporting events and some family-based immigrant visa applicants are also exempt.
- Cruise passengers from affected nations may be denied boarding if their itinerary includes any U.S. port, even if the cruise does not begin or end in the U.S.
- ACTA advises travel agents to review force majeure clauses and travel insurance policies related to existing bookings, as the ban may qualify as a covered reason for cancellation.
Travellers must be inside the United States before the June 9 deadline to avoid being impacted by the new restrictions. Valid U.S. visas issued prior to the cut-off will remain in effect, but anyone outside the country without a visa as of June 9 will be subject to the ban.
ACTA recommends travel advisors take immediate action to assess client bookings and prepare alternate arrangements where necessary.
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