The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revised its immigration policy to restrict visa eligibility for transgender women aiming to compete in women’s sports. This change is in line with Executive Order 14201, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” issued by President Donald Trump earlier this year. The order directs the Department of Homeland Security to prevent male athletes from entering the U.S. for women’s sports competitions.
According to USCIS, visa eligibility for categories such as O-1A (aliens of extraordinary ability), E11 (extraordinary ability), E21 (exceptional ability), and National Interest Waivers (NIW) will now include stricter scrutiny for applicants intending to participate in women’s athletics. These updates are aimed at what the agency describes as ensuring fairness in women’s sports.
“Men do not belong in women’s sports. USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women,” said USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser. “It’s a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the US to participate in women’s sports. The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.”
The agency further stated that it will grant athlete-related visa petitions only to female athletes to protect all-female athletic opportunities in the U.S. The revised guidance considers a male athlete's participation in women’s sports as a negative factor in determining their eligibility under extraordinary or exceptional ability classifications.
USCIS clarified that male athletes who have gained prominence in men’s sports but now seek to compete in women’s sports will not be considered to be continuing work in their area of extraordinary ability. Additionally, such petitions will not qualify for national interest waivers, as USCIS does not see this endeavor as substantially benefiting the United States.
The policy update, which took effect immediately, applies to all pending and newly filed benefit requests and overrides all previous related guidance.
Trump signed Executive Order 14201 in February
“It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth,” the White House stated.
This policy shift marks a significant development in how the U.S. approaches immigration cases tied to athletic participation, with a clear emphasis on gender as defined biologically.
According to USCIS, visa eligibility for categories such as O-1A (aliens of extraordinary ability), E11 (extraordinary ability), E21 (exceptional ability), and National Interest Waivers (NIW) will now include stricter scrutiny for applicants intending to participate in women’s athletics. These updates are aimed at what the agency describes as ensuring fairness in women’s sports.
“Men do not belong in women’s sports. USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women,” said USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser. “It’s a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the US to participate in women’s sports. The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.”
The agency further stated that it will grant athlete-related visa petitions only to female athletes to protect all-female athletic opportunities in the U.S. The revised guidance considers a male athlete's participation in women’s sports as a negative factor in determining their eligibility under extraordinary or exceptional ability classifications.
USCIS clarified that male athletes who have gained prominence in men’s sports but now seek to compete in women’s sports will not be considered to be continuing work in their area of extraordinary ability. Additionally, such petitions will not qualify for national interest waivers, as USCIS does not see this endeavor as substantially benefiting the United States.
The policy update, which took effect immediately, applies to all pending and newly filed benefit requests and overrides all previous related guidance.
Trump signed Executive Order 14201 in February
“It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth,” the White House stated.
This policy shift marks a significant development in how the U.S. approaches immigration cases tied to athletic participation, with a clear emphasis on gender as defined biologically.
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