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The Trump administration’s US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said Aug. 4 it will stop issuing visas to men seeking to compete in women’s sports, closing a loophole that allowed foreign athletes to act against the administration’s goal of protecting female athletes.
Matthew Tragesser, a spokesperson for USCIS, said in a press release that the new policy is “a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth,” ensuring that “only female athletes receive a visa to come to the U.S. to participate in women’s sports.”
“Men do not belong in women’s sports,” Tragesser said. “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 policy tightens eligibility for temporary work visas reserved for individuals with “exceptional” or “extraordinary” abilities in athletics, art, science, business, and education.
USCIS will now treat prior participation in women’s sports by male athletes as a “negative factor,” disqualifying visa applicants from meeting the “extraordinary ability” standard. Male athletes who switch from men’s to women’s categories will not be considered as continuing in their “area of extraordinary ability.”
The changes also apply to national interest waivers, which allow foreign nationals to apply for permanent residency if their work benefits the nation.
The policy shores up President Donald Trump’s February executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” The order directed the Department of Homeland Security to deny visas to “males falsely asserting they are females” to compete in women’s competitions.
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