US visa crackdown measures under the Trump administration could soon affect as many as 200,000 foreign nationals, as Washington prepares an unprecedented wave of B1 and B2 visa revocations while separately pausing immigrant visa appointments around the world.
The US visa crackdown is entering one of its most far-reaching phases yet.
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourist visas of as many as 200,000 foreigners who have applied for, or are currently seeking, asylum in the United States, according to State Department documents and U.S. officials cited by The Associated Press.
If carried out on that scale, it would represent the largest single mass visa revocation in U.S. history, AP reported. The plan is expected to focus on people who entered the country using B1 or B2 temporary visitor visas and subsequently applied for asylum.
The proposed action is unfolding alongside a separate measure that is already disrupting legal immigration: the State Department has temporarily paused immigrant visa appointments at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide while consular officials undergo additional training.
That appointment pause applies to immigrant visas rather than ordinary tourist and business visas, an important distinction as several major changes to the American immigration system take effect at the same time.
Together, however, the developments show how President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is expanding well beyond border enforcement and deportations. The administration is increasingly reshaping the rules governing legal travel, asylum, permanent immigration and visa screening.
US visa crackdown targets B1 and B2 visa holders
At the centre of the US visa crackdown is a proposed review of B1 and B2 visas issued to people who later sought asylum in the United States.
B1 visas are generally issued to foreigners travelling temporarily for business purposes, while B2 visas cover tourism, visits to relatives and certain medical trips. Both are classified as nonimmigrant visas because they are intended for people who do not plan to permanently settle in the country.
According to AP and Reuters, the visas being reviewed were issued between 2016 and 2026. The State Department is working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify foreign nationals who entered as temporary visitors but subsequently filed asylum applications.
The administration argues that some people have used temporary visitor visas as an entry route before making asylum claims that allow them to remain in the United States while their cases are considered.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has criticised what the administration considers abuse of the asylum system, saying questionable claims place additional pressure on an already heavily burdened immigration process.
But applying for asylum is itself a legal process under U.S. law. People who claim they face persecution because of factors such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group can seek protection if they meet the required legal standard.
That tension is likely to make the proposed mass revocation one of the most closely watched elements of the US visa crackdown.
Will 200,000 US visas definitely be revoked?
No, The figure of up to 200,000 visas should not be interpreted as a confirmed final total.
AP reported the estimate based on State Department documents and conversations with two U.S. officials. The State Department has not publicly announced that exactly 200,000 visas will be cancelled.
Instead, cases are expected to be reviewed gradually, meaning the eventual number could change.
Reuters also reported that the administration plans to revoke visas belonging to asylum-seeking foreign nationals, while noting that the State Department has not disclosed a final number of people who will be affected.
That distinction matters because the planned action is still developing.
What is clear is that a revocation programme approaching 200,000 visas would be unprecedented in scale and would significantly expand the administration’s existing immigration enforcement campaign.
Does losing a B1 or B2 visa mean deportation?
Not automatically.
One of the most important questions surrounding the US visa crackdown is what actually happens to someone whose visitor visa is revoked while an asylum application remains pending.
Visa revocation and deportation are separate legal processes.
AP reported that people affected by the planned policy would not necessarily face immediate removal from the United States. Instead, many could lose their existing nonimmigrant visitor status while their position in the immigration system changes because of a pending asylum claim.
Individual cases could differ substantially depending on a person’s immigration history, current legal status and the stage of their asylum proceedings.
That also means foreign nationals should not interpret reports of the planned visa cancellations as an announcement that every affected person will immediately be deported.
US pauses immigrant visa appointments worldwide
While the proposed B1 and B2 revocations have drawn international attention, a separate policy change is already affecting immigrant visa applicants overseas.
The State Department has temporarily paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide while carrying out a global training programme for consular officers.
Applicants who already had interviews scheduled at some U.S. embassies and consulates have been told their appointments will be rescheduled, Reuters reported.
The department said the training is intended to improve consistency in how officials assess visa applicants and strengthen scrutiny of people who could potentially rely on public benefits after entering the United States.
No detailed global timetable has been announced for when normal immigrant visa scheduling will fully resume.
The appointment pause and the US visa crackdown involving B1 and B2 holders should therefore not be treated as one policy.
The B1 and B2 action involves nonimmigrant visitor visas.
The appointment disruption concerns immigrant visas, which are issued to people seeking permanent residence in the United States.
Their simultaneous rollout, however, illustrates the breadth of the administration’s attempt to tighten immigration screening.
Trump administration has already revoked more than 175,000 visas
The latest measures build on an immigration campaign that has already resulted in a large number of visa cancellations.
The Trump administration has revoked more than 175,000 visas as part of its wider enforcement drive, Reuters reported.
Washington has also expanded screening requirements for several visa categories.
In March 2026, the State Department announced that online presence reviews would be expanded to additional groups of nonimmigrant visa applicants. Those covered by the programme are instructed to make relevant social media profiles publicly accessible during the vetting process.
The department says the expanded screening is necessary because every visa decision carries national-security implications and applicants must demonstrate that they qualify for the category of visa they are seeking.
The policy builds on earlier social media screening applied to groups including H-1B workers, dependants, students and exchange visitors.
The result is that the US visa crackdown is no longer focused on a single class of traveller. It now covers multiple elements of the legal immigration system, from temporary visitors and asylum applicants to workers and people seeking permanent residence.
Courts are pushing back against Trump’s immigration policies
The administration’s aggressive approach is also facing growing legal scrutiny.
On August 22, a federal judge struck down a Trump administration policy that had suspended immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the policy exceeded the authority available to the secretary of state under federal immigration law. The affected countries included Brazil, Colombia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, alongside nations across Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
That ruling concerned a different immigration policy and does not block the proposed B1 and B2 revocations.
It does, however, demonstrate the legal resistance the administration could encounter as the US visa crackdown expands.
AP reported that a mass revocation involving as many as 200,000 people would also likely face legal challenges.
Courts could eventually be asked to examine questions including whether the State Department has sufficient authority to revoke visas on such a broad basis and how the policy interacts with the legal rights of people who have already filed asylum applications.
What the US visa crackdown means for foreign travellers
For international travellers, perhaps the most important point is that the United States is not cancelling every B1 or B2 visa.
The planned action specifically targets people identified as having entered the United States with temporary visitor visas before applying for asylum.
Ordinary tourists and business travellers who have not entered that process are not automatically covered by the reported mass-revocation plan.
Similarly, the worldwide pause reported by Reuters affects immigrant visa appointments, not all U.S. visa interviews.
Those distinctions are particularly important for applicants in countries with large numbers of U.S.-bound travellers, including India, China, Mexico, Brazil and nations across the Middle East and Africa.
People with existing applications should check instructions issued directly by the U.S. embassy or consulate handling their case rather than assuming that a reported policy change automatically applies to them.
Why the latest visa measures matter globally
The scale of America’s immigration system means even administrative changes in Washington can have consequences around the world.
Families depend on immigrant visa interviews to reunite in the United States. Businesses rely on predictable travel rules. Students, workers, tourists and prospective permanent residents make long-term plans around visa processing times.
A prolonged disruption can therefore affect far more than immigration statistics.
It can delay relocations, separate families, disrupt employment and create uncertainty for people who have already spent months or years moving through the U.S. immigration system.
The US visa crackdown is also politically significant because it illustrates how the Trump administration’s second-term immigration agenda has widened.
Border crossings and deportations remain major priorities, but legal pathways into the United States are increasingly being subjected to stricter vetting, additional eligibility tests and policy changes.
What happens next?
The most immediate question is whether the State Department proceeds with visitor visa revocations approaching the 200,000 figure reported by AP.
Because the reviews are expected to take place progressively, the full scale of the programme may only become clear over time.
Legal challenges are also likely if mass cancellations begin, particularly from immigration organisations or people whose visas are revoked while their asylum applications remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, thousands of prospective immigrants abroad will be watching for new interview dates as the State Department completes its consular training programme.
For now, the US visa crackdown represents two developments moving on parallel tracks: an unprecedented proposed cancellation of visitor visas linked to asylum claims, and a worldwide interruption affecting immigrant visa appointments.
Neither amounts to a shutdown of the entire U.S. visa system.
But taken together, they signal one of the most extensive efforts yet by the Trump administration to reshape who can enter the United States — and under what conditions.
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