The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has updated its immigration policy to restrict visa eligibility for transgender women seeking to compete in women’s sports, the agency said on Monday. 

Under the policy update, USCIS will consider “the fact that a male athlete has been competing against women” as a negative factor when evaluating visa petitions in categories such as O-1A for extraordinary ability, EB-1 and EB-2 green cards for highly skilled workers, and national interest waivers.

“USCIS will affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities by granting certain athlete-related petitions and applications, that had previously been abused and offered to men, only to women, ensuring that male aliens seeking immigration benefits aren’t coming to the U.S. to participate in women’s sports,” the agency added.

Echoing the position of the Trump administration, USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said “men do not belong in women’s sports.”

“USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women,” Tragesser said in a statement. “It’s a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the U.S. to participate in women’s sports. The Trump administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.”