WASHINGTON- The United States (US) has revoked more than 300,000 visas since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025, marking a major expansion of the administration’s immigration enforcement programme. The State Department said most cancellations involved foreign nationals who were no longer eligible to hold a US visa because of criminal activity, public safety concerns, immigration violations or fraud.
The department said the revocations followed an extensive review of visa holders and efforts to strengthen continuous screening. Its latest statement, published on November 1, also reiterated that the government would continue withdrawing visas when information indicated that holders no longer met the requirements for entry or stay in the country.
US Visa Revocations
The latest figure represents a substantial increase from the more than 175,000 visa revocations reported by the State Department on August 10, 2026.
By October 20, the administration had already announced that the total had exceeded 300,000, with officials describing the pace as faster than under any previous US administration.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the government had adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards foreign nationals who break US laws, commit fraud or threaten national security.
The department also attributed the cancellations to information uncovered through its screening and vetting procedures.
The government has not published a complete breakdown of the more than 300,000 revocations by nationality or visa category. Consequently, the available figures do not establish how many cancellations involved international students, temporary workers, business travellers or tourists.
Birth Tourism Revocations
The State Department also identified birth tourism as a separate reason for visa cancellations, reporting that more than 4,000 visas had been revoked in cases involving individuals who engaged in or facilitated the practice.
Birth tourism involves foreign nationals travelling to the US to give birth, with the intention of securing American citizenship for their children.
More than 700 of the visas revoked under this category belonged to Chinese nationals, according to the department.
The administration has increased its scrutiny of the practice, arguing that some foreign nationals exploit visitor visas and provide misleading information about their travel intentions.
In September 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals involved in commercial birth tourism networks.
The measures also cover people who facilitate the practice, including operators and others accused of helping applicants misrepresent their travel purposes.
Continuous Visa Screening
The State Department attributed part of its enforcement activity to the Continuous Vetting Center, established in 2025 under its Bureau of Consular Affairs in Washington. The department said the centre had been responsible for revoking more than 23,000 visas.
It also provided a breakdown of the criminal and public safety cases handled through the centre. Assault and related offences accounted for 25% of those revocations, while driving under the influence represented 22%.
The remaining figures included theft at 7% and substance abuse or distribution at another 7%. These percentages relate to the centre’s reported revocations and should not be interpreted as a breakdown of the entire 300,000-plus total.
The administration has also expanded screening requirements for visa applicants.
From October 1, 2026, the State Department extended online presence reviews to additional nonimmigrant visa categories, including foreign media representatives and USMCA professionals, while similar checks already applied to student, temporary worker and exchange visitor categories, Hindustan Times flagged.
However, the department has not released a comprehensive nationality-wise breakdown of the cancellations or specified how many affected Indian citizens. The figure also represents visa revocations, not a confirmed count of deportations from the United States.
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