The U.S. is set to revoke no fewer than 200,000 visas, according to the Department of State.
The move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in U.S. history and is expected to face legal challenges.
According to documents obtained by The Associated Press and two U.S. officials, the action will be taken by the Department of State in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
The revocation is expected to affect business and tourism visas for foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States.
The State Department is expected to announce the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 whose holders have sought asylum or are now seeking asylum.
B1 visas are generally issued for business trips and B2 visas are generally issued for tourism, family visits or medical care.
“We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the non-immigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the U.S. claiming to be short-term visitors but filde for asylum to stay here permanently,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott was quoted as saying.
Pigott said “the process will be ongoing, the number of revocations remains dynamic and will be done on a rolling basis.”
However, the revocations would not necessarily result in their immediate deportation, according to the Department officials.
Most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be recategorized but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers, the officials said.
Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term in 2025, his administration has steadily ramped up restrictions on visa applicants.
The administration has demanded more information about immigrants’ social media histories, requiring the posting of expensive bonds for the processing of visas and outright banning the issuance of visas to citizens of certain countries.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau called out people who he said try to use tourist and business visas to get into the United States and then apply for asylum.
“People in the U.S. and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims,” Landau wrote in a social media post on Monday.
“Asylum isn’t supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration law.”
It was not immediately clear from the documents or the officials how many of the visa holders are seeking or have sought asylum in the United States and would be affected by the revocations.
Current applicants for the B1 and B2 visas are asked to affirm that they will not apply for asylum in the United States and prove that they intend to return to their home countries.
In the past 18 months, the State Department has revoked about 175,000 visas for people who have been convicted or accused of crimes.
These range from drunken driving to rape and robbery, as well as for people who have spoken out publicly against U.S. policies, particularly in the Middle East.
The administration has also moved to crack down on what it called “birth tourism”.
Birth tourism is a practice the administration claims is used by foreign pregnant women to come to the U. S. to give birth so that their children will benefit from birthright citizenship.
Trump has tried several times to end birthright citizenship but those challenges have been rejected by courts, including the Supreme Court.
