How the Trump travel ban on Cuba, Venezuela affects different visas. We break it down

Miami Herald

2 days ago

President Donald Trump's partial travel ban targeting nationals from Cuba and Venezuela will directly affect South Florida's large Cuban and Venezuelan communities.
Starting Monday, the new restrictions will block many Cuban and Venezuelan nationals— including tourists, family visitors and business people — from entering the United States under several commonly used visa categories. However, some individuals will still be able to enter under visa types not covered by the ban.
The measure is part of a broader executive proclamation imposing new travel restrictions on nationals from more than a dozen countries. In addition to Cuba and Venezuela, travelers from Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Turkmenistan will also face similar partial bans.
Under the new rules, immigrant and non-immigrant travelers from these countries will be barred from entering the U.S. on tourist, business and student visas. The proclamation applies only to nationals from these countries who are currently outside the United States and do not hold a valid visa as of the effective date.
The proclamation also enforces a full suspension of visas — for both immigrants and non-immigrants — from countries including Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
While administration officials said the new measures are intended to strengthen national security and encourage cooperation from foreign governments, immigrant advocates have criticized the policy, warning it will separate families and disrupt lives—especially in communities like Miami-Dade, where ties to Cuba and Venezuela run deep.
The Department of Homeland Security said the ban will not apply retroactively to those already in the U.S. or holding valid visas as of Monday.
The partial ban on travel from Cuba and Venezuela does not affect green card holders.
Here's a look at the different types of visas and how they are affected by the ban.
Visa categories no longer available to Cubans and Venezuelans:
▪ B-1 Visa (Business Visitors) – Issued to people wanting to visit for temporary business purposes, such as attending business meetings or trade conferences, participating in short-term training or even negotiating a contract.
▪ B-2 Visa (Tourist Visitor) — Issued to people visiting the U.S. temporarily for tourism or personal reasons, including those on vacation or those wanting to visit family or friends, those seeking medical treatment in the United States and those wanting to participate in social events or amateur competitions.
▪ B-1/B-2 Visa (Combination Visa) — Issued to people traveling for bor both business and tourism activities. It's normally issued to people attending a conference that also want to go sightseeing during the same trip.
▪ F Visa (Academic Student Visa) — There are two categories associated with this visa. F-1 is for full-time academic students at an accredited U.S. school or university. F-2 is for dependents, such as spouses and children, of F-1 students.
▪ M Visa (Vocational Student Visa) — There are two categories associated with this visa. M-1 is for students attending vocational or technical schools. M-2 is for the dependents of M-1 students.
▪ J Visa (Exchange Visitor Visa) — Issued to participants in exchange programs approved by the U.S. State Department, and is normally given to students, research scholars, professors, Interns, trainees, au pairs and camp counselors
Visa categories not affected:
▪L Visa (Intra-Company Transferees) – Issued to managers or executives transferring from a foreign office to a U.S. branch or subsidiary ( L-1A) and to employees with specialized knowledge transferring within the same company to the U.S (L-1B).
▪ O Visa (Extraordinary Ability) — Issued to individuals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics (O-1) and to essential support staff assisting O-1 visa holders in specific events or performances (O-2).
▪ P Visa (Athletes & Entertainers) — Issued to internationally recognized athletes or members of entertainment groups (P-1), to artists or entertainers in reciprocal exchange programs (P-2) or culturally unique programs (P-3).
▪ R (Religious Workers) — Issued to ministers and other religious workers doing temporary work with a nonprofit religious organization in the U.S.
▪ E Visas (Treaty Traders and Investors) — Issued to people from treaty countries — such as Mexico, Germany France and Japan, which have treaties of friendship, commerce or navigation with the United States — are are engaged in substantial trade with the U.S. (E-1), and for investors from treaty countries making significant investments in U.S. businesses (E-2).
▪ K Visas (Fiances and Spouses) – Issued to fiances of U.S. citizens coming to marry within 90 days of entry (K-1) and to spouses of U.S. citizens awaiting approval of an immigrant visa petition.