US to revoke visas of short-term visitors who seek asylum
The State Department announced a rolling revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 for holders who later filed asylum claims, affecting potentially hundreds of thousands of visas.
The U.S. State Department said it will begin revoking B1 and B2 visitor visas issued from 2016 to 2026 for individuals who later applied for asylum, a process it described as a rolling, dynamic effort. > "Obtaining a visa in order to seek asylum is fraud – which is grounds for visa revocation," spokesperson Tommy Pigott told the BBC. Pigott added that the administration views a visa as a privilege, not a right, and is working with the Department of Homeland Security to identify cases where short-term visitors have filed asylum claims contrary to the terms of their visas. The revocations could affect hundreds of thousands of visas, according to media reports, and follow a broader effort that has already cancelled more than 175,000 visas for violations such as criminal activity, fraud or threats to national security. The policy targets B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) visas, which require applicants to pledge they will not seek asylum while in the United States. Data show that the majority of 2024 B-visa issuances went to citizens of Brazil, China, India and Pakistan, with over 32,000 issued to travelers from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The department has also instructed embassies to reschedule visa interviews to allow consular officers additional training on the stricter policy. The move follows a recent court ruling that struck down a broader visa ban covering 75 countries, finding it exceeded the Secretary of State’s statutory authority.