🚨 Major Entry Ban Issued by Trump Administration – What Employers Should Know

On June 4, 2025, President Trump issued a new immigration proclamation under Executive Order 14161, placing full or partial entry bans on nationals from 19 countries. The new policy, effective June 9, 2025, is aimed at restricting entry to the U.S. from countries deemed to have insufficient screening and vetting processes.

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⚠️ Key Impact for Employers:

If your organization recruits foreign talent or sponsors green cards through the PERM labor certification process, these restrictions could complicate timelines, hiring strategies, and workforce planning—particularly for candidates currently overseas or with ties to the impacted countries.

📌 What’s Changing:

Full entry suspension applies to nationals from:

• Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen
  

Partial entry restrictions apply to:

• Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela

  
  

These suspensions affect both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants—meaning both temporary work visas and green card processing can be disrupted.

👤 Exemptions Exist, But Are Limited:

The proclamation outlines some exemptions, including:

• U.S. green card holders (LPRs)

• Dual nationals traveling on non-restricted passports

• Certain diplomatic, adoption, and special immigrant visa categories

• Athletes and support staff attending international sporting events

• Some immediate family immigrant visas with documentation
  

However, most employer-sponsored visa categories (including H-1B, L-1, and PERM-based green cards) are not explicitly exempt unless a national interest exception applies.

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🧠 What This Means for PERM Advertising & Recruitment:

At Atlas, we understand how sudden policy shifts like this can create ripple effects across recruitment pipelines. While this EO doesn't directly impact the ad phase of PERM, it could lead to:

• Delays in case initiation or progression

• Talent supply shortages in affected regions

• The need to reassess eligibility before investing in ad campaigns
  

🛠️ What We Recommend:

• Audit your candidate pool: Identify employees or applicants from the impacted countries.
  

• Check immigration status: Ensure foreign nationals currently in the U.S. hold valid status or travel documents.
  

• Plan ahead: For upcoming green card sponsorships, confirm if the candidate resides in or holds citizenship from an affected country before moving forward.
  

This is an evolving situation. Atlas will continue to monitor developments and provide practical updates tailored for PERM employers and immigration counsel.

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Want help staying compliant while navigating new policy shifts? Let’s talk about your labor market testing strategy. Send us a message or reach out to your Atlas contact.