US President Donald Trump praised the Supreme Court's decision to review the legality of his temporary ban on travellers from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees, and to allow it to be partly implemented in the meantime.
"Today's unanimous Supreme Court decision is a clear victory for our national security," Trump said in a statement released by the White House.
"Today's ruling allows me to use an important tool for protecting our Nation's homeland."
The Supreme Court earlier announced it would allow a cut down version of Trump's ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries take effect before the justices will hear full arguments in October.
In the meantime, the court said that Trump's ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen can be enforced as long if those visitors lack a "credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."
Trump said last week that the ban would take effect 72 hours after being cleared by courts.
Opponents say the ban was an unlawful based on visitors' Muslim religion. The administration review should be complete before October 2, the first day the justices could hear arguments in their new term.
Three of the court's conservative justices said they would have let the complete bans take effect.
The court's opinion explained the kinds of relationships people from the six countries must demonstrate to obtain a US visa.
"For individuals, a close familial relationship is required," the court said.
"For people who want to come to the United States to work or study, the relationship must be formal, documented and formed in the ordinary course, not for the purpose of evading the travel ban."
The opinion faulted the two federal appeals courts that had blocked the travel policy for going too far to limit Trump's authority over immigration.
The president announced the travel ban a week after he took office in January and revised it in March after setbacks in court.
The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, said the ban was "rooted in religious animus" toward Muslims and pointed to Trump's campaign promise to impose a ban on Muslims entering the country as well as tweets and remarks he has made since becoming president.
The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said the travel policy does not comply with federal immigration law, including a prohibition on nationality-based discrimination.
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