The U.S. government has announced a new immigration policy that will stop transgender women from entering the country to take part in top-level women’s sports. This decision was made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and explained in new guidance from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), released on Monday.

Under the updated policy, transgender women athletes will not be allowed to apply for special U.S. visas, called “extraordinary ability” visas, that are usually given to highly talented individuals in fields like sports, science, education, art, or business. These changes also affect another category of visa known as a national interest waiver, which allows people to apply for a green card without employer approval if their work benefits the United States.

Although the policy doesn’t use the word “transgender,” it refers to “male athletes” applying to compete in female sports categories. A spokesperson for USCIS, Matthew Tragesser, said the agency is closing what he called a “loophole” that allowed transgender women to take advantage of their “biological advantages” to win in women’s sports. He said the goal is to ensure fairness and safety in women’s competitions.

Trump-era order

This policy is based on an executive order signed by President Donald Trump early in his presidency. That order focused on banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports, and the new immigration rules follow the same direction. According to Tragesser, the changes are meant to protect women and reflect what he called “common sense” values.

The policy doesn’t just affect sports visas. It also impacts people applying for green cards or other visas in categories that value high achievement. If a transgender woman has competed in women’s sports, that fact will now be treated as a “negative factor” in her application, especially if she is applying under categories meant for elite performers. USCIS has stated that it does not consider it to be in the national interest to allow trans women into the country to compete in women’s sports.

Effects on the Olympics 

This rule could affect transgender athletes who hoped to take part in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. However, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee had already made a decision last month to ban trans women from female sports.

In college sports, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) oversees about 25,000 international student athletes out of over 500,000 total athletes. Its president, Charlie Baker, told a U.S. Senate panel last year that there were fewer than 10 transgender athletes in the entire NCAA system.

Debate

The updated rules are part of a wider debate in the U.S. over the participation of transgender women in women’s sports. Supporters of the policy say it is about protecting fairness and safety for female athletes. Critics, however, argue that it unfairly targets and discriminates against transgender people.

As the 2028 Olympics approach and international athletes prepare to compete in the U.S., these new rules may become a major issue in both immigration and sports policy.