Washington, DC [US], August 5 (HBTV): The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its immigration policy to restrict visa eligibility for transgender women seeking to compete in women’s sports.

The policy update aligns with Executive Order 14201, titled Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, which directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop measures preventing male athletes from entering the country to compete in women’s athletic events.

‘USCIS has clarified eligibility for certain visa categories: O-1A aliens of extraordinary ability, E11 aliens of extraordinary ability, E21 aliens of exceptional ability, and for national interest waivers (NIWs), to guarantee an even playing field for all women’s athletics in the United States,’ the official statement said.

‘Men do not belong in women’s sports. USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women,’ said USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser. ‘It’s a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the US to participate in women’s sports. The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.’

The USCIS further stated that it will ‘affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities by granting certain athlete-related petitions and applications—previously extended to men—only to women, ensuring that male aliens seeking immigration benefits are not coming to the US to participate in women’s sports.’

The new policy specifies that if a male athlete has been competing in women’s categories, it will be considered a negative factor in determining whether the individual is in the top tier of their field. Additionally, USCIS does not view a male athlete who has gained acclaim in men’s sports but now seeks to compete in women’s sports in the US as someone continuing work in their area of extraordinary ability. According to the update, such cases are not deemed to substantially benefit the United States, nor are they in the national interest to justify waiving job offers or labor certification requirements.

‘The USCIS Policy Manual is effective immediately and applies to benefit requests pending or filed on or after the publication date. It is controlling and supersedes any related prior guidance,’ the statement noted.

Former President Donald Trump signed the Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports order in February 2025, declaring it a measure to protect fair athletic opportunities for women and girls.

‘It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth,’ the White House stated.

(ANI)