AYV News, March 20, 2025
The Government of Sierra Leone has said the list circulated on social media, listing Sierra Leone among 43 other countries proposed for a possible United States visa restriction or travel ban is inaccurate.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Alhaji Musa Timothy Kabba said his government has not been officially notified by the US Government of the existence of any such lists and that the list under review was only reported by the New York Times newspaper and circulated on social media.
He said in as much as his government does not lend credence to the list, he however recently discussed the issue with the United States’ Ambassador to Freetown, His Excellency Bryan David Hunt, who assured him that the list is not an US States Department documents.
Minister Kabba assured that visas are still being issued to deserving applicants travelling from Sierra Leone by the Embassy in Freetown as it is used to be.
Past weekend, a list was circulated listing Sierra Leone among dozens of countries facing potential travel restrictions to the United States under a new proposal from the Trump administration.
The New York Times in America reported over the weekend that an internal memo seen by Reuters indicates that Sierra Leone is in the “orange” category, meaning its citizens could face sharply restricted visas.
Sierra Leone falls into the “orange” tier, where visas would be significantly restricted, potentially impacting tourist, student, and immigrant visas.
A third “yellow” tier of 26 countries would be given 60 days to address security concerns before facing potential restrictions. An anonymous U.S. official cautioned that the list is not yet finalized and requires approval from the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
