If the move goes through, it would be the largest bulk visa cancellation in U.S. history, the Associated Press reports.
Published August 25, 2026
The United States is preparing to revoke business and tourist visas for up to 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for or are seeking asylum in the country, according to the Associated Press.
The plan, if carried out, would be “the largest single mass visa revocation” in the country’s history, the Associated Press reported Monday, citing State Department documents and interviews with two U.S. officials.
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The State Department is working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to announce the measure in the coming weeks, the report said.
The targets are so-called B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026, whose holders have applied for or are currently applying for asylum.
“We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of aliens who come to the United States claiming to be temporary residents and then apply for asylum seeking permanent residence,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said in a statement.
Officials cited by The Associated Press said the revocation does not automatically trigger deportation.
Instead, most people with pending asylum claims will be moved to a different immigration category, effectively stripped of their business or tourist designations while their cases progress.
In a social media post Monday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticized people who enter the United States on tourist or business visas and try to apply for asylum.
“People in the United States and around the world are tired of false asylum claims,” Landau wrote in X. “Asylum should not be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws.”
Since President Donald Trump took office for a second term last year, his administration has steadily tightened restrictions on visa applicants, demanding more information about their social media histories, requiring hefty deposits for visa processing and outright banning visas to citizens of certain countries.
Over the past 18 months, the State Department has canceled about 175,000 visas for people who have been convicted or charged with crimes ranging from drunk driving to rape and robbery, particularly those who have publicly spoken out against U.S. policies in the Middle East.
