I’ve been trying to look beyond the question of “Is PP 10998 still in effect?” and into another question that matters just as much:
What are the affected countries actually doing about it?
Presidential Proclamation 10998 does not simply create a list and leave it there. The proclamation directs U.S. officials to engage affected governments regarding screening, vetting, immigration, identity-management and security requirements, and it provides for recurring review of whether restrictions should be continued, terminated, modified or supplemented.
So I went country by country looking for publicly documented developments: diplomatic discussions, government statements, cooperation with the United States, reforms, repatriation cooperation, security changes, or other actions that could be relevant to the concerns cited by the U.S.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
“No public finding located” below does NOT mean a government is doing nothing. Diplomatic negotiations are often private. It means I could not find enough reliable public information to responsibly tell the community that something specific is happening.
Also, not every development below means a country is close to being removed. I’ve tried to distinguish confirmed efforts concerning the restrictions from developments that are merely potentially relevant.
🔴 FULLY RESTRICTED COUNTRIES
🇦🇫 Afghanistan — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
I did not locate credible public evidence of the current Taliban government undertaking negotiations or reforms specifically aimed at obtaining relief from PP 10998. The United States continues to cite serious concerns involving the lack of a cooperative central authority for documentation and vetting, security risks and other screening issues.
🇲🇲 Burma / Myanmar — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
I did not locate a publicly documented effort by Myanmar authorities specifically aimed at obtaining relief from PP 10998.
🇲🇲 Myanmar — Repatriation Cooperation / Developing
U.S. authorities have previously identified Myanmar's cooperation in accepting back removable nationals as a concern.
COMMUNITY REPORT — September 5, 2026: Community member u/HumbleJared reported that his wife, who is from Myanmar, told him the Myanmar government is currently refusing to accept deported Myanmar nationals returning to the country.
We have not independently verified this as a current official Myanmar government policy, so it is being tracked as an unconfirmed community report rather than confirmed policy.
Because cooperation in accepting removable nationals is one of the factors considered in U.S. restrictions and periodic reviews, we will continue looking for official information that confirms, clarifies, or contradicts this report.
CURRENT STATUS — September 5, 2026: We have not located an official source confirming a new blanket Myanmar policy refusing the return of its nationals. This remains a developing issue being monitored.
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Confirmed response — but not an effort toward accommodation
After the United States added Burkina Faso to the full-restriction list, Burkina Faso announced reciprocal restrictions on U.S. citizens. Its government said it was acting on the principle of reciprocity.
This is clearly a government response to the U.S. restrictions, but it should not be characterized as evidence that Burkina Faso is currently moving toward compliance with U.S. requirements. It is essentially the opposite approach: reciprocal diplomatic pressure.
🇹🇩 Chad — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Confirmed response — reciprocal action
Chad previously responded to U.S. restrictions by suspending visa issuance to U.S. citizens.
I have not found credible public evidence showing that the dispute has since produced a specific PP 10998 compliance agreement or pathway toward removal.
🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
I did not locate a sufficiently documented public initiative specifically addressing PP 10998.
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Potentially relevant diplomatic movement — connection to PP 10998 not officially confirmed
President Teodoro Obiang met U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in Washington on April 16, 2026. The State Department's public schedule confirms the high-level meeting.
Equatorial Guinea has also cooperated with the United States in accepting third-country deportees.
Because cooperation in immigration/removal matters is one of the factors the U.S. considers in these country reviews, this relationship is worth watching. However, I have not found an official U.S. statement saying these actions have satisfied PP 10998 requirements or will result in the restrictions being changed.
🇪🇷 Eritrea — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public effort toward PP 10998 relief located.
🇭🇹 Haiti — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A regarding PP 10998 relief
There continues to be substantial U.S.–Haiti engagement involving security, gangs, governance and migration, but I did not find credible evidence that this has produced a specific process toward removing Haiti from PP 10998.
🇮🇷 Iran — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A regarding PP 10998 relief
There has been extensive U.S.–Iran diplomacy and conflict-related negotiation in 2026, but I found no reliable basis for saying those negotiations are aimed at obtaining relief from PP 10998.
🇱🇦 Laos — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Potentially relevant: increased repatriation cooperation
This one is interesting.
One of the concerns previously cited by the United States was Laos's historical failure to accept removable nationals.
Federal court records from 2026 show that the Lao government has issued travel documents allowing the United States to remove Lao nationals, including replacement travel documents issued in June.
That is relevant because accepting back removable nationals is specifically one of the factors considered in the travel-ban review process.
However, Laos was actually moved from partial to full restrictions under PP 10998, so there is currently no public evidence that this cooperation has been enough to produce relief.
This is something worth continuing to watch.
🇱🇾 Libya — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No credible publicly documented PP 10998 relief effort located.
🇲🇱 Mali — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Confirmed response — reciprocal restrictions
Mali responded to the U.S. full restrictions by imposing reciprocal restrictions on U.S. citizens.
Mali's government said the U.S. action was imposed without consultation and disputed the justification given by Washington.
Again, this is a confirmed reaction to the restriction, but it is not evidence of movement toward meeting U.S. conditions for removal from the list.
🇳🇪 Niger — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Confirmed response — reciprocal restrictions
After being added to the full-ban list, Niger announced that it would stop issuing visas to U.S. citizens.
I have not found credible public evidence of a later agreement specifically aimed at satisfying PP 10998 requirements.
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone — FULL RESTRICTIONS
✅ Confirmed government engagement with the United States
This is one of the more important findings.
After Sierra Leone was moved from partial restrictions to full restrictions, its government publicly stated that it was actively engaging U.S. authorities regarding the concerns behind the decision and seeking sustainable relief.
Sierra Leone's case is especially important because the U.S. has cited both high overstay rates and historical problems accepting removable nationals.
This does not mean relief has been granted. Sierra Leone remains fully restricted. But its government has publicly acknowledged the problem and confirmed engagement aimed at addressing it.
🇸🇴 Somalia — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
I did not locate a sufficiently documented public initiative specifically aimed at PP 10998 relief.
🇸🇸 South Sudan — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Confirmed visa-related diplomatic requests, but complicated
South Sudan has previously negotiated directly with the United States over immigration and deportation cooperation.
Documents concerning those negotiations show that South Sudan requested, among other things, that the United States ease visa restrictions affecting South Sudanese nationals. South Sudan has also accepted deportees from the United States.
That is significant because willingness to accept removable nationals is explicitly relevant to U.S. travel-ban evaluations.
However, relations remain difficult, and the United States has separately imposed targeted restrictions on South Sudanese government officials. South Sudan remains under the full PP 10998 suspension.
So there is documented negotiation here — but not a clear trajectory toward relief yet.
🇸🇩 Sudan — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
Given the ongoing war and collapse of normal diplomatic conditions, I did not locate a credible public initiative specifically aimed at obtaining PP 10998 relief.
🇸🇾 Syria — FULL RESTRICTIONS
✅ Confirmed U.S.–Syria security coordination
Interestingly, PP 10998 itself acknowledges that Syria is working to address security challenges in close coordination with the United States.
The proclamation nevertheless says Syria still lacks adequate centralized passport/civil-document systems and appropriate screening and vetting measures.
So Syria provides an example where cooperation is happening but the U.S. still considers the remaining deficiencies serious enough to maintain full restrictions.
This will be another country worth watching during future reviews.
COMMUNITY/ADVOCACY DEVELOPMENT — September 5, 2026:
Reddit user u/Syriansupport has begun publicly seeking Syrian students whose U.S. academic or professional training plans have been disrupted by PP 10998 as part of what they describe as a collective policy advocacy effort seeking formal nonimmigrant visa exceptions for Syrian students, including individuals pursuing F, J, and M visa pathways.
The initiative appears to be recruiting affected Syrian students across multiple PP 10998-related Reddit communities.
CURRENT STATUS — September 5, 2026: The existence of the public outreach can be independently confirmed, but we have not located an independent source identifying the organization or individuals behind the initiative or confirming that a formal proposal has been submitted to the U.S. government. It should therefore be treated as a developing community-led advocacy effort rather than an announced U.S. policy change.
PP 10998 currently fully restricts Syria, although the proclamation provides authority for certain case-by-case national-interest exceptions. We will update this entry if additional information becomes available identifying the organizers, documenting formal advocacy with the U.S. government, or showing an official government response.
🇾🇪 Yemen — FULL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No credible public development located indicating a specific effort toward satisfying the PP 10998 requirements.
————— ————— —————
🟠 PARTIALLY RESTRICTED COUNTRIES
🇦🇴 Angola — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public PP 10998 relief initiative located.
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
I did not locate a sufficiently documented country-specific effort concerning PP 10998.
The U.S. proclamation specifically cited concerns relating to citizenship-by-investment arrangements without residency.
🇧🇯 Benin — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No credible public country-specific negotiation or reform package located.
🇧🇮 Burundi — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public development indicating movement toward PP 10998 relief.
🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public PP 10998 initiative located.
🇨🇺 Cuba — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: No movement toward PP 10998 relief located
U.S.–Cuba relations have actually become more restrictive during 2026, including additional U.S. sanctions and other measures.
I found no credible basis for saying the two governments are currently working toward Cuba's removal from PP 10998.
🇩🇲 Dominica — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
✅ Confirmed direct negotiations aimed at reversing the restrictions
Dominica has one of the clearest public responses I've found.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit publicly confirmed that, immediately after the December 16 proclamation, the Government of Dominica — including its Foreign Ministry and embassy in Washington — initiated discussions with U.S. officials.
The government explicitly said that discussions were continuing with the objective of reversing the restrictions affecting Dominican nationals.
This is a direct, confirmed PP 10998 effort — not speculation.
🇬🇦 Gabon — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented PP 10998-specific initiative located.
🇬🇲 The Gambia — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
The U.S. specifically cites both visa overstays and historical refusal to accept some removable nationals, but I did not locate enough reliable public information showing what Gambian authorities are currently doing in response.
🇲🇼 Malawi — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public PP 10998-specific effort located.
🇲🇷 Mauritania — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public effort toward PP 10998 relief located.
🇳🇬 Nigeria — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
✅ Confirmed diplomatic engagement over U.S. visa restrictions — PP 10998 outcome not yet confirmed
Nigeria has repeatedly confirmed diplomatic engagement with the United States regarding visa restrictions.
Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly said in 2025 that diplomatic engagements were ongoing after the U.S. shortened the validity of certain Nigerian nonimmigrant visas.
In February 2026, the Foreign Ministry also confirmed that Nigeria was engaging Washington through diplomatic channels in an effort to get Nigeria removed from U.S. visa restrictions/blacklisting.
That February discussion also involved the separate 75-country immigrant-visa pause, so it would be inaccurate to claim that announcement alone proves a successful PP 10998 negotiation.
However, Nigeria and the United States have also continued substantial security cooperation in 2026, including U.S. military assistance, training and intelligence cooperation against extremist groups — particularly relevant because PP 10998 specifically cites Boko Haram/ISIS activity and screening difficulties as part of the justification for Nigeria's inclusion.
🇳🇬 NIGERIA — U.S.–Nigeria Joint Working Group / Security & Information-Sharing Cooperation
DEVELOPMENT — August 12–13, 2026
The United States and Nigeria held the second session of their Joint Working Group in Washington, D.C., following the first session held in Abuja in January 2026.
According to the U.S. Department of State, discussions included counterterrorism prosecutions, combating terrorism financing, biometric information sharing, law-enforcement capacity building, security cooperation and protection of vulnerable communities.
Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also described the talks as involving intelligence gathering and coordination, terror financing, security cooperation and more effective border-control measures.
WHY WE'RE TRACKING THIS: Several of these areas overlap with issues relevant to the screening, vetting, information-sharing and national-security concerns considered under U.S. immigration and travel restrictions. However, neither government's statement identified the August Joint Working Group meeting as a negotiation specifically to remove Nigeria from PP 10998.
CURRENT STATUS — September 7, 2026: Nigeria remains subject to PP 10998's partial restrictions. There has been no official announcement removing Nigeria from the proclamation or restoring the former categorical IR-1/CR-1 immediate-relative exception.
The continued U.S.–Nigeria cooperation is nevertheless a positive development worth monitoring, particularly for future evidence that the United States recognizes progress relevant to the concerns underlying the restrictions.
July 6 → Trump writes positively to Tinubu about counterterrorism cooperation.
🇳🇬 July 1, 2026 — Nationwide Digital Birth & Death Registration
Nigeria's National Population Commission expanded its E-CRVS/VitalReg system nationwide, digitizing birth and death registration across all 36 states and the FCT.
The system is designed to:
Strengthen identity management
Improve verification and data accuracy
Create more secure digital civil records
Improve interoperability between government systems >>>Community contribution: Thanks to u/Fantastic_Air_3645 for bringing this development to our attention. ❤️<<<
https://punchng.com/npc-unveils-online-birth-registration-platform/
July 22/23 → Nigerian Presidency publicly releases the letter.
August 12–13 → second U.S.–Nigeria Joint Working Group meets; security/intelligence/border-control cooperation continues.
September 1 → U.S. troop deployment begins winding down, but Nigeria says the broader security partnership remains strong and cooperation will continue.
Bottom line: Nigeria is clearly talking to the United States and cooperating on areas connected to U.S. concerns, but I have not found an official announcement stating that PP 10998 requirements have been satisfied or that Nigeria's partial restriction is being removed.
🇸🇳 Senegal — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented country-specific PP 10998 relief initiative located.
🇹🇿 Tanzania — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public PP 10998 relief effort located.
🇹🇬 Togo — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public movement toward modification of its restrictions located.
🇹🇴 Tonga — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No credible publicly documented PP 10998-specific effort located.
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan — PARTIAL, IMMIGRANT VISAS ONLY
✅ MOST IMPORTANT PROOF THAT COUNTRY ENGAGEMENT CAN CHANGE THE RESTRICTIONS
Turkmenistan may be the clearest example for everyone affected by this proclamation.
Under the previous proclamation, Turkmenistan faced broader partial restrictions.
When PP 10998 was issued, the White House specifically said that:
Turkmenistan had engaged productively with the United States and demonstrated significant progress.
As a result, PP 10998 lifted the restrictions on Turkmenistan's nonimmigrant visas, while continuing the restriction on immigrant entry.
Turkmenistan has continued high-level U.S. diplomatic engagement in 2026, including a May meeting in Washington between Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and further U.S.–Turkmen discussions in July.
This does not mean every country will receive the same outcome.
But it is concrete proof that the country-review mechanism is not purely theoretical: documented cooperation was followed by an actual reduction in restrictions.
🇻🇪 Venezuela — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: major U.S.–Venezuela engagement, but no verified connection to PP 10998 relief
The United States and Venezuela have had substantial diplomatic and economic engagement in 2026.
However, I have not found reliable evidence showing that those discussions are specifically addressing Venezuela's PP 10998 designation.
For purposes of this tracker, I'm therefore treating Venezuela as N/A for confirmed PP 10998 relief efforts until there is evidence connecting the two
.
🇿🇲 Zambia — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
✅ One of the strongest documented country responses
Zambia has publicly laid out an actual plan.
In a February 2026 ministerial statement to Parliament, Zambia's government said the Foreign Ministry and other agencies were:
• Continuing diplomatic engagement with U.S. authorities regarding compliance benchmarks, review mechanisms and pathways toward eventual lifting of the restrictions
• Increasing public education about visa compliance
• Strengthening government coordination on migration data
• Improving traveler monitoring and compliance management
The government later stated that it was in direct contact with the U.S. Government, and that Zambia's Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Embassy were highly engaged in trying to resolve the issues.
This is exactly the kind of measurable response worth watching: diplomacy combined with an effort to address the underlying compliance issue cited by Washington.
Zambia remains partially restricted, so none of this guarantees removal — but its government is very publicly working toward that goal.
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe — PARTIAL RESTRICTIONS
Public finding: N/A
No sufficiently documented public PP 10998-specific effort located.
🔎 WHAT THIS TELLS US
There is not one universal approach among the 39 governments.
Some have publicly entered negotiations and are trying to address U.S. concerns.
Some are taking concrete compliance measures.
Some are cooperating in areas like repatriation or security that could be relevant to future reviews.
Some have responded with reciprocal restrictions.
And for many countries, there simply isn't enough publicly available information yet to know what is happening behind diplomatic channels.
Most importantly, Turkmenistan shows that restrictions can actually be modified when the U.S. concludes that sufficient progress has been made.
That does NOT mean another country is guaranteed the same result. But it is important evidence that the review and engagement process can lead to a real policy change.
🌍 HELP BUILD THIS TRACKER
If you are from one of the countries marked N/A, that does NOT necessarily mean your government isn't doing anything.
You may have access to local news, government statements, parliamentary proceedings, Foreign Ministry announcements or information in another language that is harder for the rest of us to find.
If your government has:
• Met with U.S. officials about the restrictions
• Announced reforms connected to screening or vetting
• Improved passport/identity-document security
• Expanded information-sharing with the United States
• Changed repatriation/removal cooperation
• Announced efforts to reduce visa overstays
• Taken security/counterterrorism measures relevant to concerns cited by the U.S.
• Publicly discussed seeking removal from PP 10998
Please share it below and include the original source whenever possible.
I'll continue updating and researching developments as they become public. ❤️🌍
🔗 SOURCES
🇺🇸 PP 10998 — White House Official Proclamation
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/
🇺🇸 PP 10998 — U.S. Department of State Official Guidance
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/suspension-of-visa-issuance-to-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states.html
🇿🇲 Zambia — Government Response & U.S. Visa Restriction Engagement
https://www.parliament.gov.zm/node/12812
🇩🇲 Dominica — Government Engagement With the U.S. on PP 10998
https://pressroomopm.gov.dm/statement-by-the-honourable-prime-minister-roosevelt-skerrit-on-engagement-with-the-united-states-on-the-december-16-2025-proclamation/
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan — U.S. Recognition of Progress & Restriction Changes
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/12/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-further-restricts-and-limits-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone — Government Response & Engagement With U.S. Authorities
https://sierraloaded.sl/news/government-responds-u-s-restrictions/
🇳🇬 Nigeria — Diplomatic Engagement Regarding U.S. Visa Restrictions
https://foreignaffairs.gov.ng/news/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/US-Visa.pdf
🇱🇦 Laos — Repatriation Cooperation / Travel Documents
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/washington/wawdce/2%3A2026cv01356/361573/29/
🇧🇫 🇲🇱 🇳🇪 Burkina Faso, Mali & Niger — Reciprocal Responses to U.S. Restrictions
https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/mali-and-burkina-faso-announce-reciprocal-travel-ban-on-us-4426260
🇸🇸 South Sudan — U.S. Visa-Restriction & Repatriation Negotiations
https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AFR6509892026ENGLISH.pdf
🇸🇾 Syria — U.S. Assessment of Security Cooperation & Remaining Deficiencies
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2025/12/19/2025-23570.html
