The State Department cancelled more than 100,000 visas in 2025, marking a sharp jump from the previous year and the highest number ever recorded, according to official data. The total is more than double the roughly 40,000 visas revoked in 2024, which was the final full year of President Joe Biden’s administration.
The surge comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Day one executive order in his second term that tightened foreign vetting and enforcement standards. The administration has argued that stricter scrutiny is necessary to protect national security and ensure compliance with immigration rules.
Officials say most of the visa cancellations involved business and tourist travelers who remained in the United States beyond the period allowed under their visas, rather than individuals accused of more serious violations.
Beyond tourists and business visitors, the crackdown also swept up thousands of people tied to the U.S. education and workforce pipeline. Around 8,000 international students and roughly 2,500 specialized workers saw their visas revoked during the same period.
A State Department spokesperson said most of the students and skilled professionals who lost their legal status had prior run-ins with law enforcement, underscoring that the actions were not limited to administrative overstays but also involved criminal concerns.
Among specialized workers, officials say the grounds for revocation were often tied to criminal cases. About half of those cancellations stemmed from drunken driving arrests, while nearly 30 percent were linked to assault, battery, or confinement charges. The remaining cases involved offenses such as theft, child abuse, drug abuse and trafficking, as well as fraud and embezzlement.
The impact was also felt across campuses. Nearly 500 international students lost their visas over drug possession or distribution cases, and hundreds of foreign workers were stripped of their status after authorities said they were suspected of abusing children, according to a State Department spokesperson.
The administration signaled the scope of its enforcement push in August 2025, when it announced a comprehensive review of all 55 million foreign nationals holding valid U.S. visas.
READ: Trump administration revokes 80,000 visas in immigration crackdown
Alongside the revocations, the State Department has moved to tighten the bar for new visa approvals as well. Officials say eligibility standards have been more rigorously applied as part of the administration’s broader enforcement push.
In November 2025, Fox News Digital first reported that the department would begin enforcing a so-called “public charge” standard, allowing officers to deny visas to applicants judged likely to depend on public assistance.
The criteria extended to health-related factors, placing older and overweight applicants
under closer review, along with considerations such as English language ability, financial
stability, and the likelihood of requiring long-term care.