The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced new immigration policies that restrict visa approvals for transgender women intending to compete in women's sports categories.

According to USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser, the move is intended to close a loophole that allowed foreign nationals to exploit gender identity to gain perceived competitive advantages in professional athletics. He called the policy a matter of“security, fairness, respect, and truth.”

Under the updated guidelines, participation in women's sports by individuals assigned male at birth may be considered a negative factor in visa applications. This applies to several key immigration categories, including the O-1A visa for individuals with extraordinary ability and EB-1 and EB-2 employment-based visas that lead to permanent residency.

The policy gives USCIS officers broader discretion and allows them to consider whether an applicant's participation aligns with national interest exemptions or contradicts U.S. public policy.

This change aligns with former President Donald Trump's earlier executive order banning transgender women from participating in female sports categories, a directive that has since influenced similar policies in several U.S. states. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee recently adjusted its internal policies to match federal guidelines.

Supporters argue the rule preserves fairness in women's sports, while critics denounce it as discriminatory against a small, marginalized population of athletes. Advocacy groups warn that the policy politicizes gender identity and unfairly ties it to immigration decisions.

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