News
06
www.asianhospitality.com
September 2025 | Issue 24
he Trump administration is
reviewing more than 55 million
people who hold valid U.S. visas for
potential violations. It also plans to replace
the H-1B lottery with a wage-based system
favoring higher-paid applicants.
The State Department confirmed all
visa holders are subject to ongoing review,
which includes checking for overstays,
criminal activity, threats to public safety
or ties to terrorism. Should violations
be found, visas may be revoked, and
holders in the U.S. could face deportation,
according to the Associated Press.
Officials said the reviews will include
monitoring of visa holders’ social media
accounts, law enforcement records and
immigration files. New rules also require
applicants to disable privacy settings
on phones and apps during interviews.
The department noted visa revocations
since President Trump’s return to office
have more than doubled compared to the
previous year, including nearly four times
as many student visas.
The administration also announced an
immediate halt on issuing worker visas
for foreign commercial truck drivers,
with Secretary of State Marco Rubio citing
road safety and competition concerns for
U.S. truckers.
“The increasing number of foreign
drivers operating large tractor-trailer
trucks on U.S. roads is endangering
American lives and undercutting the
livelihoods of American truckers,” Rubio
posted on X.
The Transportation Department
linked the move to recent enforcement
of English-language proficiency
requirements for truckers, aimed at
improving safety. The State Department
later said it was pausing visa processing
while it reviewed screening protocols.
Critics, including Edward Alden of the
Council on Foreign Relations, warned the
actions could have significant economic
consequences.
“The goal here is not to target specific
classes of workers, but to send the
message to American employers that
they are at risk if they are employing
foreign workers,” Alden wrote, according
to AP.
Data from the Department of
Homeland Security shows there are 12.8
million green card holders and 3.6 million
temporary visa holders in the United
States. The 55 million figure under review
includes many outside the U.S. with valid
multiple-entry tourist visas.
The State Department recently
reported revoking more than 6,000
student visas for violations since Trump
returned to office, including around 200
to 300 for terrorism-related issues.
The vast majority of foreign visitors
require visas to enter the U.S., with
exceptions granted to citizens of 40
countries under the Visa Waiver Program,
primarily in Europe and Asia. Citizens of
China, India, Russia and most of Africa
remain subject to visa requirements.
Shifting H-1Bs, green cards
to wage-based system
The U.S. Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs approved a draft
rule in August outlining the proposed
changes to the H-1B and green card
systems, according to Bloomberg Law.
The H-1B program is capped at 65,000
visas annually, with an additional 20,000
reserved for U.S. advanced degree holders,
according to the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services.
During the first Trump administration,
DHS proposed replacing the H-1B lottery
with a wage-based system that would
rank petitions in four wage tiers, giving
priority to higher-paid jobs, under the
“Buy American, Hire American” policy,
according to the Federal Register.
“We’re going to change the green card,”
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick
told Fox News, according to Economic
Times. “The average American makes
$75,000 a year, while the average green
card recipient makes $66,000. Why are
we doing that? It’s like picking the bottom
tier.”
According to the U.S. Social Security
Administration, the average U.S. salary
for 2023, its latest National Average Wage
Index, was $66,621.80.
Trump reviewing 55
million visas
More than 6,000 student visas revoked this year for violations
The Trump administration is reviewing 55 million visas for violations. More than twice as many
visas than usual have been revoked since President Trump returned to office.