Student Visa Interviews Paused Worldwide as US Reviews Social Media Vetting Policy

According to officials, as it gets ready to increase the scrutiny of international students' social media activity, the US State Department has stopped setting up new visa interviews for those who want to study in the US. According to a U.S. official on Tuesday, the suspension is only meant to be temporary and does not affect applicants who have already set up their visa interviews.

Speaking about an internal administration document, the official was asked to remain anonymous. According to a cable obtained by the Associated Press and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department intends to release guidelines on broader social media vetting.

“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” until the guidance is issued, the cable says.

Asked about the suspension at a briefing Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US uses every available resource to vet people applying for visas.

“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 said.

Politico was the first to report the action, which is the most recent in the Donald Trump administration's campaign against foreign students. Harvard University was removed from the program that permits schools to sponsor foreign students for visas last week when the Trump administration canceled the college's ability 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 US 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 announced that it was restoring the students' legal status after numerous students successfully challenged their cases. However, the government also broadened the grounds for removing foreign students' future legal status.

With the introduction of social media account reviews, Trump's former administration increased scrutiny of all visa applicants. During the administration of former 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 delay in student visa scheduling.