USCIS blocks visas for male athletes competing in women's sports

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a policy on Aug. 4, 2025, that bars foreign biological males from receiving visas to compete in women’s sports in the United States.

The change applies to visa categories such as O-1A, E11, and E21—typically reserved for individuals with “extraordinary” and “exceptional ability”—to prevent males from qualifying based on achievements in women’s divisions.

“Under the Biden administration, the door was wide open for men to masquerade as women because no one cared to track it,” USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser told Campus Reform in an email. He added that the new policy is USCIS “doing its part to implement President Trump’s executive order.”

“Even one man competing in women’s sports is too many,” Tragesser said.

[RELATED: Trump executive order cited in lawsuit after Stephen F. Austin cuts women’s sports]

USCIS praised the Trump administration’s treatment of transgender policy in its press release on August 4: “The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.”

A social media post from USCIS further confirmed that the visa policy update is in conjunction with the current administration’s policies. Specifically, the policy is “in support of Executive Order 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which, according to USCIS’s post, directs the Department of Homeland Security to be “dedicated to opposing male participation in women’s sports as a matter of safety, fairness, respect and truth.”

The White House reposted a Daily Caller article on the policy, adding, “Women’s sports are for WOMEN.”

[RELATED: 28 Attorneys general demand NCAA reinstate women’s titles, records taken by male athletes]

Since President Trump signed Executive Order 14201 in February, several states and colleges across the U.S. have announced major victories for women’s sports.

On August 1, Wagner College issued a public apology for violating Title IX and allowing a male to compete on the women’s fencing team.

In July, the University of Pennsylvania revoked swimming records for Lia Thomas, a widely known biological male who competed in women’s events.

On June 4, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed a law banning male athletes from competing in women’s sports.

Campus Reform contacted the American Association of University Women and the Independent Council on Women’s Sports for comment, but did not receive a response by publication.