Washington, Feb 1 (IANS): The White House has announced that the United States will restrict immigration from six new countries, four of which are African countries, a controversial move that has already drawn criticism.

The United States will curb citizens from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Nigeria to apply for visas that can lead to permanent US residency, according to the new rule which is expected to go into effect on February 22, Xinhua news agency reported.

Citizens from two other countries, Sudan and Tanzania, will be restrained from attending the diversity visa lottery that randomly grants green cards to immigrants from underrepresented countries annually.

The White House on Friday claimed in a statement that the newly banned countries have failed to meet the US national security requirements.

Meanwhile, the new restrictions do not apply to tourist, business, or other non-immigrant travel from those countries, the statement added.

The new countries will be added to a list of seven nations, most of which are Muslim-majority, facing the Trump administration's travel ban issued in 2017.

Immigrant advocates attacked the latest restrictions, calling them an "African Ban."

The latest move was seen as another sign of the United States closing its doors to immigrants under the Trump administration.