U.S. citizens can still file immigration petitions for family members from countries covered by the renewed travel ban in 2025, but the path has become far harder and slower, especially for those trying to reunite with parents, spouses, and children.
Under rules rolled out after June 2025, Washington kept the legal right of U.S. citizens to seek green cards for their immediate relatives, yet added layers of security checks and a built‑in presumption against applicants whose nationality falls under the ban. Lawyers say this shift has turned what was once a fairly routine family case into a high‑risk process where the applicant’s passport alone counts as a heavy mark against them, even when all other parts of the case are strong.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the policy change has confused many mixed‑status families who assumed that marriage to a U.S. citizen, or being the minor child or parent of one, would shield them fully from the travel ban’s harshest effects.
Who is still eligible (and how the rules changed)
- Immediate relatives — defined as spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of U.S. citizens age 21 or older — can still be approved for immigrant visas that lead to green cards even if they are from a country on the travel ban list.
- The major change is procedural: consular officers now require “clear and convincing evidence” of both identity and family relationship. In practice, this frequently means:
- DNA testing
- Extensive civil records
- Sometimes proof that earlier identity documents were checked by local or international authorities
U.S. consulates already struggled with short staffing and long queues before the new rules. With the extra screening demands, families from banned countries report that interview dates are pushed months further out, and that cases can stall for long stretches while security checks run in the background and officers request more documents.
The first legal step — unchanged on paper, different in practice
On paper, the first step has not changed: a U.S. citizen files Form I‑130, Petition for Alien Relative with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to classify a foreign spouse, child, or parent as an eligible relative.
However, attorneys report that I‑130 petitions for nationals of travel ban countries now attract extra questions and longer review times, even when the family lives together in the United States 🇺🇸 and has a long record of shared bills, leases, and tax returns.
Once an I‑130 is approved and the case is sent for consular processing, the travel ban’s impact becomes more direct. Consular officers must treat the applicant’s nationality as a “significant negative factor” when deciding whether to issue the immigrant visa, regardless of how long the person has lived in the United States or how strong their family and community ties may be. That negative factor applies even when the applicant has no criminal history and passed earlier security checks, making outcomes less predictable and increasing stress for families who have already waited years.
Non‑immediate relatives — effectively blocked
The policy goes further by shutting off options for many relatives who do not fit the narrow definition of immediate relatives.
- F‑category family visas (adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens; spouses and minor children of green card holders; brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens) are now effectively blocked for people from both fully and partly banned countries.
- These visas already had heavy backlogs, sometimes keeping families apart for a decade or more.
- With the travel ban layered on top, those long waits have become dead ends for many would‑be immigrants who have U.S. citizen sponsors but fall outside the core nuclear family circle.
- Humanitarian categories linked to refugee and asylee status, including V‑92 and V‑93 follow‑to‑join visas for spouses and children, are not clearly exempted under the latest rules.
- That ambiguity leaves refugees who expected to bring over loved ones uncertain about whether they will ever see their families again in the United States.
Travel risks for people already in the United States
Beyond visa categories, travel itself has become risky for many people from banned countries who live in the United States on temporary visas or have pending green card cases.
Lawyers now warn clients not to leave the country unless there is no other choice, even for short trips to visit sick relatives or attend funerals. Specific risks include:
- A person who departs to renew a visa at a consulate may be refused a new visa because of the travel ban and be unable to return, despite having lived and worked lawfully in the U.S. for years.
- Families are thinking twice about sending children abroad for school holidays or allowing elderly parents to attend important family events overseas.
- U.S. consular posts face increased pressure to explain why a previously valid visa is no longer a safe guarantee of return.
How families should plan and document cases
For families deciding whether to start the process, the new landscape demands careful planning and extensive records.
U.S. citizens who want to bring in a spouse, child, or parent from a banned country are urged to collect evidence that demonstrates the relative’s ties and need to be in the United States, for example:
- Proof of employment
- Tax filings
- Records of community involvement
- Medical needs and supporting documentation
While the law does not list these items as formal requirements, officers look at whether an applicant appears rooted and law‑abiding, since the automatic negative factor tied to nationality weighs against them from the start.
Practical reminders:
- Filing an I‑130 petition does not protect someone from the travel ban if they travel abroad while the case is pending.
- It may take years before a final visa interview occurs.
- Official guidance on family immigration on the U.S. Department of State family immigration website stresses that visa issuance is never guaranteed, even for close relatives of citizens.
Key takeaway
The travel ban has kept the legal path for immediate relatives intact on paper, but added so many evidentiary and security hurdles that family reunification has become a high‑risk, slow, and uncertain process. Routine life choices—visiting a parent, planning a wedding, or taking a short trip—now carry potentially permanent consequences for many mixed‑status families.
If you are considering starting a family immigration case or planning travel, consult an experienced immigration attorney and prepare extensive documentation before making decisions that could separate you or your loved ones for years.
The 2025 travel ban preserves filing rights for immediate relatives but adds stringent identity and relationship checks. I‑130 petitions from banned countries face extra scrutiny and longer processing. Consular officers treat nationality as a significant negative factor, delaying interviews and increasing denials. Non‑immediate family categories and some humanitarian routes are largely blocked. Families should assemble extensive employment, tax, medical, and community evidence and consult immigration counsel before filing or traveling.
