The Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 US visas since January 2025, even as employment-based immigration data show that H-1B petitions continue to receive approvals at a rate of about 97%, with renewals and job transfers accounting for most successful cases.
The US Department of State announced the record number of visa revocations in a November 1 post on its official X account, crediting Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s leadership for an unprecedented review of visa holders.
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“Under @SecRubio’s leadership, the State Department has undertaken an unprecedented review of U.S. visa holders, resulting in the revocations of over 300,000 visas — the most in American history,” the department said. The figure marks a significant increase from the more than 175,000 revocations reported by the department on August 10. The State Department’s latest announcement comes amid the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement drive, which has included tighter screening and scrutiny of foreign nationals.
According to the department, most revocations involved criminal activity, public safety concerns, immigration violations, fraud or misrepresentation, or other information indicating that individuals were no longer eligible for visas.
The department also said more than 4,000 visas had been revoked in cases involving birth tourism, including more than 700 held by Chinese nationals. Its Continuous Vetting Center, established in 2025 under the Bureau of Consular Affairs, has accounted for more than 23,000 revocations.
Among the cases handled by the center, 25% involved assault and related crimes, 22% involved driving under the influence, 7% involved theft and another 7% involved substance abuse or distribution, according to the department.
H-1B approvals continue despite tighter immigration scrutiny
The visa revocation announcement coincides with continued approvals of H-1B employment petitions, highlighting the distinction between the administration’s enforcement measures and the ongoing demand for skilled foreign workers.
Data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), covering the first nine months of fiscal year 2026 through June 30, show that the agency approved 270,419 H-1B petitions and denied 8,231. That represents an approval rate of approximately 97% among the 278,650 petitions decided during the period.
Another 156,404 petitions remained pending as of June 30.
Immigration data tracker LayoffAI highlighted the figures in a series of posts on X, noting that approvals for continuing employment substantially outnumbered those for new employment.
Of the 270,419 approvals, 184,073 were for continuing employment, covering existing H-1B workers seeking extensions, amendments or transfers to other employers. Only 86,346 approvals were for initial employment. In other words, continuing employment accounted for roughly 68% of approvals, compared with about 32% for new employment.
LayoffAI also noted that the pattern continued from fiscal year 2025, when approvals for continuing employment increased 12.9% to 291,542, accounting for 72% of all H-1B approvals that year.
The tracker said H-1B filings between November and June remained broadly in line with the corresponding period a year earlier, suggesting that employer demand had not declined significantly despite the administration’s immigration policy changes.
Renewals remain central to the H-1B workforce
The figures underline the importance of H-1B extensions and employer transfers in maintaining the existing foreign-skilled workforce in the United States.
While the annual H-1B cap and the selection of new applicants frequently dominate immigration debates, a substantial portion of the program’s activity involves workers already employed in the country.
For Indian professionals, who represent a major share of the H-1B workforce, the distinction is particularly relevant. Continuing-employment approvals help existing workers remain employed or move between employers without having to enter the annual cap selection process again.
READ: Trump administration revokes 250,000+ US visas, including 2,300 over ‘birth tourism’ (October 1, 2026)
However, the 300,000-plus visa revocation figure does not establish how many H-1B holders or Indian nationals have been affected. The State Department has not released a comprehensive breakdown of the cancellations by nationality or visa category.
The two sets of figures also measure different processes. The State Department’s revocation count covers visas across categories, while USCIS’s H-1B figures track decisions on employment petitions. A visa revocation does not automatically mean that an H-1B petition has been denied or that a person’s immigration status has been terminated.
The figures nevertheless present two important dimensions of the administration’s immigration policy: expanded scrutiny of foreign visa holders and continued processing of employment petitions that sustain the existing skilled-worker population.