US Immigration Services Drops 3rd-Gender Option

The immigration agency has reversed a Biden-era policy, eliminating the ‘X’ gender option and restoring binary sex recognition.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building is seen outside of Denver, Colo., on July 14, 2019. Chet Strange/AFP via Getty Images

The agency that oversees immigration services in the United States has announced that it has officially updated its policy to recognize only two biological sexes—male and female—for all immigration-related documentation and benefit requests, which is in line with President Donald Trump’s directive.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced in an April 2 statement that it is rescinding a 2024 policy introduced under President Joe Biden that allowed applicants to select a third gender identity option—“X”—on forms and identity documents.