An update to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy will prevent foreign male athletes from entering the United States to compete in women’s sports, according to a Monday press release.
USCIS said the policy changes align with President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. The policy updates will revoke previous privileges granted to biological men in women’s sports and prevent those allowances from being granted in the future.
“Men do not belong in women’s sports,” USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser stated in the release. “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.”
The new guidelines consider “the fact that a male athlete has been competing against women as a negative factor” when determining if the alien is eligible for an elite athlete visa. (RELATED: Men In US Now Ineligible To Participate In Olympic Games In Women’s Categories)
“USCIS does not consider a male athlete who has gained acclaim in men’s sports and seeks to compete in women’s sports in the United States to be seeking to continue work in his area of extraordinary ability,” the release reads.
Men do not belong in women’s sports.
We’re dedicated to opposing male participation in women’s sports as a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth.
In support of Executive Order 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, we’ve clarified eligibility for certain visa… pic.twitter.com/lNbs5eep6w
— USCIS (@USCIS) August 4, 2025
The new regulations say men who formerly competed in men’s sports but shifted to compete in women’s sports are not “seeking to continue work in his area of extraordinary ability.” The visa categories affected include: O-1A aliens of extraordinary ability, E11 aliens of extraordinary ability, E21 aliens of exceptional ability and national interest waivers (NIWs), according to USCIS.
“[M]ale athletes seeking to enter the country to compete in women’s sports do not substantially benefit the United States,” the release reads. “[I]t is not in the national interest to the United States to waive the job offer and, thus, the labor certification requirement for male athletes whose proposed endeavor is to compete in women’s sports.”
The policy changes will take effect immediately, according to the release, and will also apply to any cases pending or filed “on or after” Monday.
“It’s a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the U.S. to participate in women’s sports,” Tragesser said. “The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.”
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