U.S. Begins Revoking B1/B2 Visas of Some Asylum Applicants
The U.S. Department of State has already begun reviewing and revoking valid B1/B2 visitor visas held by foreign nationals who entered the United States as temporary visitors and later applied for asylum.
According to the Associated Press, up to 200,000 B1/B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 could be subject to review. The State Department received information from USCIS about asylum applications, and the review and revocation process is expected to take place gradually.
Most importantly, this generally does not affect people who are already in the United States, have filed Form I-589, and whose B1/B2 visa has already expired.
If a B1/B2 visa has already expired, there is no longer a valid visa to revoke. In addition, the expiration or revocation of a visa does not cancel a pending asylum application.
This development also does not mean that USCIS will stop conducting asylum interviews or that removal proceedings will automatically begin.
If Form I-589 is pending with USCIS:
- the asylum application continues to be processed;
- a USCIS asylum interview is not canceled solely because a B1/B2 visa is revoked;
- visa revocation by itself does not close Form I-589;
- it does not automatically start removal proceedings.
The main practical consequence applies to people whose B1/B2 visa is still valid. Once the visa is revoked, it can no longer be used for a future entry into the United States.
Therefore, reports that up to 200,000 visas may be revoked do not mean that 200,000 asylum applications are being canceled or that 200,000 removal proceedings are automatically being initiated. A person with a pending Form I-589 and an already expired B1/B2 visa will continue to have the asylum application processed under the normal procedures.
Sources:
Associated Press
U.S. Department of State
I-GUIDE is an independent informational resource and is not affiliated with USCIS or any other U.S. government agency. The information is based on official sources and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice.
