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US travel ban draft shows Pakistan in Orange List: What does it mean?

Web Desk
|
15 Mar 2025
The Trump administration is reportedly considering a broader travel ban targeting citizens from as many as 43 countries, significantly expanding the restrictions imposed during Trump’s first term, according to officials familiar with the matter.
According to a draft list reported seen by New York Times, a draft list of recommendations, developed by diplomatic and security officials, categorizes the countries into two groups.
The “red list”, comprising 11 countries, would face a complete travel ban, barring their citizens from entering the United States. These nations include:
Afghanistan
Bhutan
Cuba
Iran
Libya
North Korea
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Venezuela
Yemen
Officials caution that the State Department formulated this list weeks ago, and modifications are possible before it reaches the White House. Various U.S. embassies, security agencies, and intelligence officials are currently reviewing the draft to assess its accuracy and policy implications.
Read more: Pakistanis, Afghans to face US travel ban under Trump’s order
Additionally, an “orange list” of 10 countries has been proposed, for which travel would be restricted but not entirely cut off. In these cases, affluent business travelers might still be permitted entry, but immigrant and tourist visas would face tighter scrutiny.
Furthermore, all applicants from these countries would be required to attend in-person visa interviews. The countries on this list include:
Belarus
Eritrea
Haiti
Laos
Myanmar
Pakistan
Russia
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Turkmenistan
The Yellow List includes 22 countries that would be given 60 days to resolve perceived deficiencies. If these remain unaddressed these, countries in this list could be moved to either of the two above buckets.
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde Chad
The Republic of Congo,
The Democratic Republic of Congo
Dominica
Equatorial Guinea
Gambia
Liberia
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
São Tomé and Príncipe
Vanuatu
Zimbabwe.
The move follows Trump’s January 20 executive order, which directed the State Department to identify nations with inadequate vetting and screening processes that could warrant partial or full travel suspensions.

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