The Bhutanese Leading the way.
All hell broke loose in Bhutan on 15 March 2025 when the New York Times in an article said that Bhutan was in a draft Red List of 11 countries that would see a complete travel ban to the USA.
The other ten countries were Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
Bhutan at the time had been on the Red list due to the high visa overstay rate with Bhutanese coming to USA on visas overstaying at a higher rate than many other countries. The overall numbers were very small but the percentage was high between 2014 and 2022 from available data.
To get off the list Bhutan got in touch with their US counterparts and started taking measures. This moved Bhutan from the Red List to the much milder Yellow List of 22 countries that would be given 60 days to clear up perceived deficiencies, with the threat of being moved onto one of the other lists of orange and red if they did not comply.
The Royal Government of Bhutan stayed in constant touch with its US counterparts and through diligent and patient diplomacy and even compromises even got off the yellow list.
In fact, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Bhutan in New York on 30th May issued a national notification to inform all Bhutanese nationals residing in or traveling to the United States of America that the US Government has issued a formal notification dated 28 May 2025 on strengthened measures concerning border security and immigration enforcement.
It said the US Government reaffirmed its commitment to strict enforcement of immigration laws and the protection of its national borders. It urged all Bhutanese nationals to take note of the measures by the US government.
It said foreign nationals attempting to enter the United States without proper authorization will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and individuals who enter the US legally but overstay their authorized period of stay, or who violate US laws, may face arrest, significant fines, and/or imprisonment. They may also be deported and subject to a permanent ban on re-entry to the US.
It said that foreign nationals currently residing in the US without legal status are advised to depart immediately and those seeking to take advantage of voluntary departure programs and available financial incentives are required to register through the CBP Home App.
The notification said the US Government has introduced new visa restrictions targeting foreign government officials and other individuals who facilitate or support illegal and large-scale migration to the US.
The notification also said that governments that do not cooperate in the timely repatriation of their nationals may face serious diplomatic consequences, including broad restrictions on visa issuance and entry into the US for their citizens.
The Consulate General strongly urged all Bhutanese nationals to comply with US immigration law and refrain from any actions that could result in arrest, prosecution, deportation, imprisonment, or fines.
The result of all the above diplomacy and moves by Bhutan ensured that it did not figure in any list.
So, when President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on 4th June Wednesday evening banning travel from 12 countries to the US, citing security risks, Bhutan was no longer on any list.
The ban fully restricted entry of nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
People from seven countries with partial restriction are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X saying, “These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information.”
According to CNN, Trump said that new countries could be added to the travel ban as “threats emerge around the world.”
The White House website went into why each of the 12 countries were placed in the travel ban. Countries like Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti and Sudan were mainly on the list due to high visa overstay rates with other concerns being refusal to take back its removable nationals and also criminal records not being available to the USA.
On the other hand, countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen, Libya and Somalia were on the list from mainly security and terrorism concerns.
In terms of partial suspension countries like Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela the main issue was again visa overstay rates and refusal to take back deported citizens.
Bhutan not being on any list is a major diplomatic achievement for the RGoB, but here on it will be incumbent on any Bhutanese traveling to the USA to ensure that Bhutan does not end up in any other list again by not overstaying on the given visa.
