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Introduction
In recent months, the Trump administration has taken several steps that will reduce the overall work-authorized population, placing new restrictions on green cards and humanitarian immigration, terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals from several countries, announcing new restrictions on high-skilled immigration, and more. These changes and proposals, alongside earlier policy changes, stand to significantly reduce the work-authorized population in the coming months and years.
Yet, even with these policy announcements and pending changes, one sector of the immigrant workforce remained relatively unchanged in the early months of the new Trump administration – those coming to the U.S. on work visas. While a number of the aforementioned policy changes are likely to reduce the number of work visas issued in 2026 – including the new travel ban, proposed public charge rulemaking, and new H-1B visa fees, the first four months of the Trump administration showed the beginning of a decline in the number of nonimmigrant work visas issued as compared to the same time period in 2024 under the Biden administration. This decline was relatively small, but if the trend continues, it could have a larger impact on the U.S. economy going forward.
Analysis
As of the time of publication of this resource in December 2025, the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin has only published nonimmigrant work visa data through May 2025 – more than a 6-month lag. But even that data shows the beginning of a trend of reduced issuance of work visas.
After comparing the number of nonimmigrant work visas[1] issued during the Biden administration from February through May 2024 with those issued under the Trump administration during the same months in 2025, we can see that the Biden administration issued 3.3% more visas overall.
Across three of the four months examined — February, April, and May — the Biden administration issued more visas in 2024 than the Trump administration did in 2025. The only exception was March, when the Trump administration exceeded the previous year’s total.
- February: The Trump administration issued 97,215 nonimmigrant work visas, a 2.1% decline compared to the 99,330 visas issued in February 2024 under the Biden administration.
- March: The Trump administration issued 142,415 nonimmigrant work visas, a 3.4% increase over the 137,600 issued the previous year.
- April: The Trump administration issued 151,398 nonimmigrant work visas, a 9.5% decrease compared to 167,369 in 2024.
- May: The Trump administration issued 137,083 nonimmigrant work visas, a 3.4% decline from the 141,837 issued under the Biden administration in 2024.
In total, the Trump administration issued 528,111 nonimmigrant work visas between February and May 2025 — a 3.3% decrease from the 546,136 issued by the Biden administration during the same period in 2024.
Summary Table
| Month | Biden Administration 2024 | Trump Administration 2025 | Difference (Number) | Difference (Percentage) |
| February | 99,330 | 97,215 | 2,115 / +Biden | 2.1% / +Biden |
| March | 137,600 | 142,415 | 4,815 / +Trump | 3.4% / +Trump |
| April | 167,369 | 151,398 | 15,971 / +Biden | 9.5% / +Biden |
| May | 141,837 | 137,083 | 4,754 / + Biden | 3.4% / +Biden |
| Total (Feb-May) | 546,136 | 528,111 | 18,025 / +Biden | 3.3% / +Biden |
Significance
As described above, reductions in the number of nonimmigrant visas were relatively small through May 2025, but the number is expected to have declined further throughout the rest of 2025 and into 2026. And combined with much larger ongoing reductions in the work-authorized population, administration policies are likely to have a significant impact on the broader workforce.
The reduction of the work-authorized population will create significant challenges for the U.S. economy, with implications for labor markets, industries, and communities. By limiting pathways for immigrants to live and work in the United States, these policies might exacerbate workforce shortages, disrupt economic stability, and hinder growth in sectors heavily reliant on immigrant labor.
[1] The nonimmigrant work visa categories examined for this comparative analysis were the following: D, E3, G5, H1B, H1B1, H2A, H2B, H3, J1, L1, O1, P1, P2, P3, R1, and TN.