US plans largest mass visa revocation in history, up to 200,000 foreigners targeted

US plans largest mass visa revocation in history, up to 200,000 foreigners targeted

The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum in the United States.

If implemented at the reported scale, the measure would become the largest single mass visa revocation in US history and is likely to trigger legal challenges.

The planned action targets holders of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 who have sought or are currently seeking asylum in the United States.

The US State Department is expected to begin announcing the revocations in the coming weeks, unless the policy is revised or challenged. The department is coordinating the process with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify affected visa holders.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the government was working with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who entered the United States as short-term visitors but later filed for asylum.

However, Pigott did not confirm that exactly 200,000 visas would be revoked. He said the number would remain dynamic because the process would be conducted on a rolling basis.

The reported 200,000 figure should therefore be regarded as an estimate rather than a final government tally.

The proposed visa revocations would also not necessarily result in the immediate deportation of everyone affected.

Officials said most people with pending asylum cases would be recategorised but would lose their status as business or tourism visitors. Visa cancellation would therefore be separate from an automatic deportation order.

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A B1 visa is generally issued for temporary business travel, while a B2 visa is commonly used for tourism, visiting family or friends and certain medical purposes.

The Trump administration argues that some foreigners have misused short-term visitor visas by entering the United States as tourists or business travellers and subsequently filing asylum claims to remain in the country.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticised the practice, arguing that the US asylum system should not be used as a means of circumventing immigration laws.

The planned US visa revocation is part of a wider immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, which has introduced tougher screening and restrictions for prospective and existing visa holders.

The measures include increased scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity, new financial requirements for some visa applicants and restrictions on visa issuance to citizens of certain countries.

The State Department has also revoked more than 175,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office for his second term. The revocations have involved foreign nationals accused or convicted of crimes and people whose conduct or circumstances were deemed grounds for visa cancellation.

The administration has also intensified efforts to curb so-called birth tourism, in which foreign nationals travel to the United States to give birth.

Trump has separately sought to restrict birthright citizenship, although those efforts have faced legal challenges.

The latest visa plan could face further litigation because of its unprecedented scale and its potential impact on people with pending asylum applications.

Rights groups have criticised the administration’s broader immigration policies, raising concerns about due process and civil liberties. The Trump administration has defended the measures as necessary to strengthen border security, enforce immigration laws and prevent abuse of the immigration system.

The review of existing B1 and B2 visa holders reportedly began after the State Department received information about asylum applications from US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

For now, the final number of people whose visas will be revoked remains uncertain. The State Department has indicated that the process will be conducted on a rolling basis, meaning the eventual figure could change as officials complete their review.

If the policy proceeds at the reported scale, it would represent an unprecedented US immigration crackdown and the biggest single mass cancellation of US visas in the country’s history.

US plans largest mass visa revocation in history, up to 200,000 foreigners targeted