The State Department has cancelled more than 100,000 visas this year, including about 8,000 student visas and 2,500 specialised visas, citing criminal activity and law enforcement encounters.
The administration has tightened both legal and illegal immigration rules, expanded enhanced screening including social media checks, and reiterated that a US visa is a privilege, not a right.
US Revokes Over 1 Lakh Visas In 2025 As Trump Intensifies Immigration Crackdown
Officials said the revocations, which are more than double the total in 2024, largely affected business and tourist travellers, with significant numbers linked to offences such as drunk driving, assault, theft and drug-related crimes.
Summary
The US has revoked more than 100,000 visas in 2025, including around 8,000 student visas, as part of a sweeping crackdown on immigration citing criminal activity.
"We will continue to deport these thugs to keep America safe,” the State Department said in a social media post on Monday.
“The State Department has now revoked over 100,000 visas, including some 8,000 student visas and 2,500 specialised visas for individuals who had encounters with US law enforcement for criminal activity," it added.
State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that in less than a year, the Trump administration has cancelled over 100,000 visas.
“That includes revoked visas from thousands of foreign nationals charged or convicted with crimes, including assault, theft, and driving under the influence,” he said.
According to a Fox News report, the number of visas revoked in 2025 is more than double the 40,000 cancelled in 2024, the final year of Joe Biden’s administration.
The report said most revocations in 2025 involved business and tourist travellers who overstayed their visas. However, 8,000 students and 2,500 individuals on specialised visas lost their documents due to criminal encounters with law enforcement.
“Among specialised workers, half of the revocations were based on drunken driving arrests, 30% for assault, battery or confinement charges, and the remaining 20% were revoked for theft, child abuse, substance abuse and distribution, and fraud and embezzlement charges,” it said.
Nearly 500 students reportedly had their visas revoked for possession and distribution of drugs, while hundreds of foreign workers lost their visas because they were believed to be "abusing children”.
The report quoted Pigott as saying the administration would maintain its "aggressive" enforcement stance through a new "continuous vetting centre".
"The Trump administration will continue to put America first and protect our nation from foreign nationals who pose a risk to public safety or national security," he said.
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The Trump administration has stepped up its crackdown on both illegal and legal immigration, tightening rules for those seeking to enter the US for work or study.
From December 15, the State Department also began enhanced screening of H-1B and dependent H-4 visa applicants, including checks of social media profiles. Several H-1B visa interviews across India have since been postponed, leaving many applicants who travelled for visa stamping stranded for months.
The State Department has repeatedly stressed that a US visa is a privilege, not a right, and said it uses all available information during screening and vetting to identify applicants who may pose a threat to national security or public safety.
(with PTI inputs)
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