According to authorities, the State Department has put a stop to the planning of new visa interviews for international students who want to study in the United States as it gets ready to increase the scrutiny of their social media activities.
The delay, according to a U.S. official on Tuesday, is only meant to be temporary and does not affect applicants who have already set up their visa interviews. The person discussed an internal administration document while speaking on condition of anonymity.
The State Department intends to release guidelines on broader social media vetting, according to a cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“With immediate effect, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until the guidance is issued, in anticipation of an expansion of required social media screening and vetting,” the cable states.
In response to questions over the suspension during a briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the United States employs all available means to thoroughly screen visa applicants.
“We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” Bruce stated.
Harvard University was kicked out of the program that permits colleges to sponsor foreign students for visas last week after the Trump administration cancelled the university’s authority to enroll international students. That endeavor was swiftly contested in court and is currently halted by a federal judge.
Thousands of foreign students who were already in the country had their legal status revoked by the administration this spring, which caused some of them to flee the country for fear of deportation.
The administration said that it was reinstating the students’ legal status after numerous students successfully challenged their cases.
However, the government significantly broadened the grounds for removing foreign students’ future legal status.
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The previous administration of President Donald Trump increased scrutiny of all visa applicants by using social media account reviews. During the administration of President Joe Biden, the policy was in place.
Plans for summer and fall enrollment by college, boarding school, or exchange students may be disrupted by a prolonged wait in student visa scheduling.
University budgets may suffer if international student enrollment declines. Some universities switched to accepting more international students, who frequently pay full tuition, in order to offset reductions in federal research funding.
