US halts student visa interviews as it steps up social media vetting

The United States has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students as it prepares to expand the vetting of applicants’ social media activity.

In a U.S. State Department memo reported by CBS News on May 27, Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed U.S. embassies not to add any more appointments for student and foreign exchange visas, and to remove any unfilled appointments from their calendars.

The pause will last “until further guidance is issued” in the next few days.

“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity”

Students who have already scheduled their visa interviews can proceed.

Expanded social media vetting

The memo said that the State Department's expanded social media screening would have “significant implications” for the operations of U.S. embassies.

While the memo does not explicitly state what the extra vetting would screen for, it alludes to executive orders aimed at curbing terrorism and antisemitism, according to Politico.

At a briefing the same day, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters, "We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise.”

Social media screening had previously been imposed, but those were largely aimed at returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

International student crackdown

The move is the latest in the Trump administration’s crackdown on international students.

Less than a week prior, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enrol international students or host foreign researchers, removing the college from the programme that allows schools to sponsor foreign student visas.

A federal judge has since blocked the Trump administration's plan with a temporary restraining order, according to the BBC.

CBS News also reported that, the same week, a federal judge stopped the Trump administration from terminating the legal status of thousands of international students, some of whom hold a green card.

On Apr. 9, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a press statement that it would begin to screen visa applicants for “antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals”.

The stepped-up scrutiny of student visa applicants could lead to delays that disrupt foreign student enrolment in the upcoming summer and fall terms.

It could also hurt many public research universities that rely on international students, who commonly pay full price for tuition, to help compensate for declines in state funding for education.

Related stories

Top image via U.S. Department of State/Facebook & Donald J. Trump/Facebook