Over 300,000 U.S. visas have been revoked under the Trump administration, while H-1B approvals remain high at 97%, primarily due to renewals and transfers.
The Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 U.S. visas since January 2025. This significant action comes even as employment-based immigration data indicates that H-1B petitions continue to receive approvals at a remarkable rate of approximately 97%. Most of these approvals are attributed to renewals and job transfers.
On November 1, the U.S. Department of State announced the record number of visa revocations via a post on its official X account. The department credited Secretary of State Marco Rubio for leading an unprecedented review of visa holders, which has resulted in the highest number of revocations in American history.
“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 stated. This figure marks a significant increase from the more than 175,000 revocations reported on August 10. The announcement aligns with the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy, which has included enhanced scrutiny of foreign nationals.
According to the State Department, the majority of visa revocations were linked to criminal activity, public safety concerns, immigration violations, fraud, or misrepresentation. Additionally, over 4,000 visas were revoked in cases related to birth tourism, with more than 700 of those held by Chinese nationals. The Continuous Vetting Center, established in 2025 under the Bureau of Consular Affairs, has been responsible for more than 23,000 of these revocations.
Among the cases managed by the center, 25% involved assault and related crimes, while 22% were related to driving under the influence. Other categories included theft and substance abuse, each accounting for 7% of the cases.
Despite the high number of visa revocations, H-1B approvals have remained steady, underscoring the ongoing demand for skilled foreign workers. Data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) covering the first nine months of fiscal year 2026, which ended on June 30, reveals that the agency approved 270,419 H-1B petitions and denied 8,231, resulting in an approval rate of approximately 97% among the 278,650 petitions decided during that period.
As of June 30, an additional 156,404 petitions were still pending. Immigration data tracker LayoffAI highlighted these figures in a series of posts on X, noting that approvals for continuing employment significantly outnumbered those for new employment.
Of the 270,419 approvals, 184,073 were for continuing employment, which includes existing H-1B workers seeking extensions, amendments, or transfers to other employers. In contrast, only 86,346 approvals were for initial employment. This means that continuing employment accounted for roughly 68% of approvals, while new employment made up about 32%.
This trend has persisted since fiscal year 2025, when approvals for continuing employment rose by 12.9% to 291,542, representing 72% of all H-1B approvals that year. LayoffAI noted that H-1B filings between November and June remained consistent with the same period the previous year, suggesting that employer demand for skilled foreign workers has not significantly declined despite the administration’s immigration policy changes.
The data highlights the critical role of H-1B extensions and employer transfers in sustaining the existing foreign-skilled workforce in the United States. While the annual H-1B cap and the selection of new applicants often dominate immigration discussions, a substantial portion of the program’s activity involves workers already employed in the country.
For Indian professionals, who make up a significant portion of the H-1B workforce, this distinction is especially relevant. Approvals for continuing employment allow existing workers to remain employed or transition between employers without having to re-enter the annual cap selection process.
However, the figure of over 300,000 visa revocations does not clarify how many H-1B holders or Indian nationals have been impacted. The State Department has not provided a comprehensive breakdown of the cancellations by nationality or visa category.
It is important to note that the two sets of figures reflect different processes. The State Department’s revocation count encompasses visas across various categories, while USCIS’s H-1B figures track decisions on employment petitions. A visa revocation does not automatically imply that an H-1B petition has been denied or that an individual’s immigration status has been terminated.
These figures illustrate two significant aspects of the administration’s immigration policy: the expanded scrutiny of foreign visa holders and the continued processing of employment petitions that support the existing skilled-worker population in the United States, according to American Bazaar.