US revoked 300,000 visas under Trump: What Indian students and workers need to know

The US State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Sunday announced that it has revoked more than 300,000 visas, and the department termed it the highest in American history. This comes as US President Donald Trump's administration moves ahead with its sweeping immigration crackdown on foreign nationals holding US visas.

The figures were released by the Department of State on its official X account and show an acceleration in the pace of visa revocations in recent months. In an update in August, the department had put the total number of visa revocations since Trump’s current term began in January 2025 at over 175,000.

According to the State Department, the majority of the 23,000 visas revoked by the Continuous Vetting Center were revoked for criminal activity or other public safety concerns, including 25 percent for assault and related crimes, 22 percent for driving under the influence, 7 percent for theft, and 7 percent for substance abuse or distribution.

In the thread, the department added, "A visa is a privilege, not a right. Under Secretary Rubio's leadership, we will continue to ensure that those who violate our laws are not permitted to remain in our country." The figures released by the Trump administration didn't highlight a country-wise breakdown of the revocations, other than the birth tourism category revocations of Chinese nationals.

The statement also didn't reveal how many of the visas that were cancelled were held by Indian nationals, who are among the largest groups of students and skilled workers in the United States. Nischai Vats is a Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express.

His work primarily covers US politics an... Read More