--- title: U.S. Suspends Visas for Palestinian Passport Holders: What to Know description: The Trump Administration temporarily suspended issuing nearly all types of nonimmigrant visas—including for university studies, business travel, visiting friends or family, and more—for Palestinian passport holders. canonical: https://time.com/7313680/palestinian-passport-us-visas-suspended-trump-israel/ author: Miranda Jeyaretnam article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-09-01T04:45:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:11:38.242Z article:section: U.S. og:title: U.S. Suspends Visas for Palestinian Passport Holders: What to Know og:description: The Trump Administration temporarily suspended issuing nearly all types of nonimmigrant visas—including for university studies, business travel, visiting friends or family, and more—for Palestinian passport holders. og:url: https://time.com/7313680/palestinian-passport-us-visas-suspended-trump-israel/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb583e6bef7c41ad/6998c9721500fbe9c4aa68f9/palestinian-passport.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Palestinian girl uses her passport as canvas to paint travel dreams og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Suspends Visas for Palestinian Passport Holders: What to Know twitter:description: The Trump Administration temporarily suspended issuing nearly all types of nonimmigrant visas—including for university studies, business travel, visiting friends or family, and more—for Palestinian passport holders. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb583e6bef7c41ad/6998c9721500fbe9c4aa68f9/palestinian-passport.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # U.S. Suspends Visas for Palestinian Passport Holders: What to Know  by [Miranda Jeyaretnam](/author/miranda-jeyaretnam/)  ## Miranda Jeyaretnam Reporter Sep 1, 2025 4:45 AM CUT  Nur Al Rimlawi, a Palestinian artist in Gaza, holds her Palestinian passport, on which she’s painted countries she wishes she could visit, on Sept. 10, 2024. Nur Al Rimlawi, a Palestinian artist in Gaza, holds her Palestinian passport, on which she’s painted countries she wishes she could visit, on Sept. 10, 2024.Doaa Albaz—Anadolu/ Getty Images  by [Miranda Jeyaretnam](/author/miranda-jeyaretnam/)  ## Miranda Jeyaretnam Reporter Sep 1, 2025 4:45 AM CUT The Trump Administration has suspended nearly all types of nonimmigrant visas for Palestinian passport holders, U.S. officials told the [_New York Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/world/middleeast/us-palestinian-visa-suspensions.html "undefined"). The blanket suspension marks an escalation from earlier restrictions on Palestinians seeking to enter the U.S. The policy, issued in an Aug. 18 cable from the State Department to all U.S. embassies and consulates, temporarily suspends visas for medical treatment, university studies, visits to friends or relatives, and business, according to the _Times_. It is not clear how long the suspension will remain in place. “While the Department has determined that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is a competent authority for passport issuing purposes … the United States does NOT recognize the PA as a ‘foreign government,’” the cable said, according to [CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/31/politics/state-department-refuse-most-visas-palestinian-passports#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWhile%20the%20Department%20has%20determined,authority%20for%20passport%20issuing%20purposes%20%E2%80%A6 "undefined"). Here’s what to know about the new measure. ## Policy expands U.S. visa curbs on Palestinians The internal message reportedly instructed embassies and consulates to deny nonimmigrant visas to “all otherwise eligible Palestinian Authority passport holders.” The guidance also applies to Palestinian passport holders applying for diplomatic or official visas, the cable reportedly said. The cable reportedly instructs officials to invoke section 221-G of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act in refusing the visas, which requires U.S. officials to conduct a further review of the applicant. The policy does not affect people with dual nationalities who apply for a visa using a different passport. The State Department began [revoking and denying](https://time.com/7313434/united-states-revokes-visas-palestinian-officials-united-nations-assembly/ "undefined") the visas of Palestinian officials last week ahead of the United Nations General Assembly this month. Earlier in August, the U.S. also said it would [stop issuing](https://time.com/7310203/gaza-visas-state-department-loomer/ "undefined") visitor visas to Palestinians from Gaza, including those seeking humanitarian and medical treatment. Palestinian passport holders—whether from Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, or elsewhere—will be impacted by the new measures. Palestinian Authority passports have been issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, subject to Israeli approval, since 1995\. It’s unclear how many people hold Palestinian passports today. ## Measures come as international condemnation of Israel grows The directive comes as a growing number of countries have condemned Israel’s ongoing [military bombardment](https://time.com/7311102/israel-calls-up-reservists-gaza-war-protests/ "undefined") of Gaza and what [several humanitarian organizations](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/28/israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-say-israel-based-human-rights-groups "undefined") have described as a genocide. The nearly two-year-long Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians and nearly 2,000 Israelis (including those killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel), according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and Israeli authorities. In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, Gaza’s Health Ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. Data from the Israel Defense Forces indicates a [Palestinian civilian death rate of 83%](https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/aug/21/revealed-israeli-militarys-own-data-indicates-civilian-death-rate-of-83-in-gaza-war "undefined"). The figure for Israeli casualties includes both civilians and combatants. Several U.S. allies have [criticized](https://www.elysee.fr/en/emmanuel-macron/2025/05/19/joint-statement-from-the-leaders-of-the-united-kingdom-france-and-canada-on-the-situation-in-gaza-and-the-west-bank "undefined") Israel over its [killing](https://www.npr.org/2025/07/23/nx-s1-5477365/israel-gaza-aid-casualties "undefined") of [aid seekers](https://time.com/7306892/gaza-aid-sites-trump-envoy-starvation-witkoff/ "undefined"), [humanitarian workers](https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/france-condemns-killing-of-aid-workers-in-israeli-strike-on-gaza/3619988 "undefined"), and [journalists](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp89rp48246o "undefined"), as well as its [blockade](https://time.com/7311728/gaza-famine-ipc-report-world-leaders-reactions/ "undefined") of humanitarian aid and forced displacement of Palestinians. Canada, France, and the U.K., [said](https://time.com/7306243/u-k-to-recognise-palestinian-state-in-september-unless-israel-meets-criteria/ "undefined") in July that they will [recognize a Palestinian state](https://time.com/7308777/palestinian-statehood-countries-recognize-map-australia-momentum-israel-hamas-gaza/ "undefined") at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly—with more countries following suit—prompting [condemnations](https://time.com/7305441/france-palestine-statehood-israel-trump-macron/ "undefined") from [Israel](https://time.com/7288320/israel-netanyahu-accuses-france-britain-canada-leaders-emboldening-hamas/ "undefined") and [the U.S.](https://time.com/7311956/france-us-charles-kushner-macron-israel-antisemitism-trump-ambassador-summoned/ "undefined"), [Israel’s biggest ally](https://time.com/7304352/israel-netanyahu-trump-syria-strikes-gaza-catholic-church-iran-ceasefire/ "undefined"). The Trump Administration has also cracked down on pro-Palestinian activism across the U.S., including introducing [new immigration and citizenship restrictions](https://time.com/7310570/uscis-good-moral-character-naturalization-citizenship-test-trump-administration-immigration/ "undefined") that include screening for “anti-Americanism” and [targeting](https://time.com/7272060/international-students-targeted-trump-ice-detention-deport-campus-palestinian-activism/ "undefined") pro-Palestinian student activists for immigration action, which critics say has [chilled free speech](https://time.com/7308140/stanford-daily-student-newspaper-lawsuit-fire-free-speech-international-students/ "undefined"). “Every visa decision is a national security decision, and the State Department is vetting and adjudicating visa decisions for PA passport holders accordingly,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN. But not everyone accepts that pretense. “Are there true national security concerns?” Kerry Doyle, former lead attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Biden Administration, questioned to the _Times_. “Or is it politically based to support the position of Israel and/or to avoid uncomfortable issues being raised when folks get here if they speak out about the issues over the war?” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7313680/palestinian-passport-us-visas-suspended-trump-israel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7313680/palestinian-passport-us-visas-suspended-trump-israel/"},"headline":"U.S. Suspends Visas for Palestinian Passport Holders: What to Know","datePublished":"2025-09-01T04:45:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:11:38.242Z","description":"The Trump Administration temporarily suspended issuing nearly all types of nonimmigrant visas—including for university studies, business travel, visiting friends or family, and more—for Palestinian passport holders.","url":"https://time.com/7313680/palestinian-passport-us-visas-suspended-trump-israel/","keywords":["Immigration","overnight","News Desk","Israel-Hamas War"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb583e6bef7c41ad/6998c9721500fbe9c4aa68f9/palestinian-passport.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Miranda Jeyaretnam","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/miranda-jeyaretnam/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb583e6bef7c41ad/6998c9721500fbe9c4aa68f9/palestinian-passport.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Palestinian girl uses her passport as canvas to paint travel dreams","caption":"Palestinian girl holding her passport","creditText":"Doaa Albaz—Anadolu/ Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/immigration/","name":"Immigration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7313680/palestinian-passport-us-visas-suspended-trump-israel/","name":"U.S. Suspends Visas for Palestinian Passport Holders: What to Know"}}]}] ```