By: Diya Mathews and Gurshaan Chattha

President Biden will end the presidential proclamation which bans certain southern African travelers from entering the United States, effective 12:01am ET on December 31, 2021. Foreign nationals will be permitted to enter the US from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe after the ban is lifted. These travelers will still be subject to COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements to enter the United States.

The proclamation banned foreign nationals from entering the United States if they had been present in one of the following countries within the previous 14 days:

• Botswana
• Eswatini
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• South Africa
• Zimbabwe

The ban went into effect at 12:01 AM eastern time on November 29, 2021 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant. It will end on December 31, 2021 at 12:01 AM ET.

CONCLUSION

Contact your immigration professional at Chugh, LLP for the most up-to-date travel information.