Trump's administration's recent suspened the new student visa appointments marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy, particularly concerning international students. This decision, announced by the State Department, is primarily attributed to plans for expanding social media screenings for visa applicants . The administration has mandated that embassies remove unfilled appointment slots from their calendars while allowing scheduled interviews to proceed. This pause raises concerns about the implications for international education and the accessibility of U.S. institutions for foreign students.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the cable that the department plans to issue updated guidance on social media vetting of student and exchange visitor applicants after a review is completed and advised consular sections to halt the scheduling of such visa appointments.
The directive, first reported by Politico and now confirmed by the Guardian, could severely delay visa processing and hurt universities – many of which Donald Trump accuses of having far-left ideologies – that rely heavily on foreign students for revenue.
“The department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor visa applicants,” the cable reads. Officials plan to issue guidance on “expanded social media vetting for all such applicants”.
The freeze is a further escalation from current screening measures, which have primarily targeted students who participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests. Since March, consular officers have been required to conduct mandatory social media reviews looking for evidence of support for “terrorist activity or a terrorist organization” which could be as broad as showing support for the Palestinian cause, according to a cable obtained by the Guardian at the time. That directive required officers to take screenshots of “potentially derogatory” content for permanent records, even if posts were later deleted.
The White House has accused some US universities of allowing pro-Palestinian activism on campus to be hijacked by antisemitism.
Colleges have accused the Trump administration of trying to infringe upon free speech rights.
Harvard University has been the focal point of President Donald Trump's ire. Last week, the Trump administration revoked Harvard's ability to enrol international students or host foreign researchers. A federal judge blocked the policy.
Read more
Real Betis vs Chelsea: prediction, live stream and confirmed lineups NB.1.8.1: Emerging COVID-19 Variant Spreads from China to the U.S.
Sara H
Also on site :
- Elon Musk resigns from US government role following tax bill disagreement with Trump
- Trump administration cancels $766M Moderna contract for pandemic flu vaccine
- US halts tech exports to China and China slams as 'bullying,' vows response