Trump admin bans transgender athletes from ‘extraordinary ability’ visas

The Trump administration has updated federal immigration policy to block male transgender athletes from receiving extraordinary ability visas to compete in women’s sports in the U.S.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released the updated guidance this week.

The change prevents biological males who identify as female from entering the country to participate in elite-level women’s athletic competitions. It builds on an executive order President Donald Trump signed earlier this year to ban transgender-identifying athletes from women’s sports.

“We are 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 in a statement.

“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,” he added. “The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.”

If male athletes have competed against women, it will negatively impact their chances of receiving a visa, the new policy says. The agency also argued it is not in America’s national interest to waive labor requirements for trans athletes “whose proposed endeavor is to compete in women’s sports.” 

It’s unclear how many athletes this will impact. 

USCIS has promised to evaluate visa requests on a case-by-case basis. However, applicants must meet the standards of excellence and comply with relevant eligibility requirements for the category of competition, according to the agency. 

The move comes as the U.S. is set to host the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. 

Currently, over 30 U.S. states restrict males from competing in women’s sports.

Since Trump signed his order this past winter, directing federal agencies to withhold funding from states that allow the practice, several states – including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Nebraska – have barred trans-identifying males from competing against women. The NCAA, the largest college sports governing body in the country, followed suit. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced last month it won’t allow males to compete in women’s sports. 

A January 2025 New York Times poll found 79% of Americans oppose transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports; only 18% support it. 

The extraordinary ability visa, officially known as the O-1 nonimmigrant visa, “is for the individual who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements,” according to the USCIS.