Supreme Court Brings Back the Muslim Travel Ban - 5 Things You Need to Know

President Trump issued a Muslim Travel Ban earlier in the year prohibiting travel of foreign nationals from six Muslim-majority countries: Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. However, the Muslim Travel Ban was blocked by courts in various states. On Monday, June 26, 2017, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear the case on the Muslim Travel Ban to resolve the issue once and for all. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in October 2017. Until a final decision is made, the Supreme Court has allowed a limited version of the Muslim Travel Ban to go back into effect.

Here are five things you need to know about the reinstated Muslim Travel Ban:

1. United States Citizens and Green Card holders (legal permanent residents) will NOT be affected.

2. People traveling to the United States who have a family member, employer, or school in the United States will NOT be affected. (NOTE: Please see update below)

3. People who have no relationship to the United States, whether via family, school, or employment, will NOT be permitted to enter, even if they have a valid visa.

4. This limited application of the Muslim Travel Ban will be in effect until the Supreme Court makes a decision in fall 2017. At that time, the Supreme Court could decide to eliminate the ban completely or to implement it in FULL effect. In which case, people with valid relationships to the United States and valid visas will be affected again.

5. If you are from one of the six banned countries, please consult with an attorney before traveling to ensure that proper documentation is prepared and ready for any questioning related to the Muslim Travel Ban.  


UPDATE 6/29 10 AM PST: Even though the Supreme Court has ruled that a family relationship is enough to be permitted to enter, the State Department issued a new rule last night (Wednesday) that the following relationships do NOT qualify for obtaining visas: grandparents, grandchildren, uncles/aunts, nephews/nieces, cousins, and fiancees. Therefore, someone cannot apply for his or her fiancé. However, people with valid already-issued visas will be permitted to enter. On the other hand, someone applying for a visa based on a family relationship listed above will NOT be allowed to apply for a visa or enter the United States.

For more information on the Muslim Travel Ban and other immigration topics, please visit our articles page here. 

For additional questions, please contact us at www.ImmigraTrust.com and please subscribe to our Facebook page for updates! 

--Najmeh Mahmoudjafari, J.D.
Najmeh is the Founder and Lead Immigration Attorney at ImmigraTrust Law, an immigration law practice in Orange County, California, representing individual and corporate clients in all 50 U.S. States and internationally. Najmeh can be reached at Najmeh@ImmigraTrust.com.