US Halts Student Visa Interviews to Bolster Social Media Vetting
posted 28th May 2025
US Halts Student Visa Interviews to Bolster Social Media Vetting
WASHINGTON — The US State Department has suspended scheduling new visa interviews for international students seeking to study in the United States, as it gears up to intensify social media screening, officials confirmed.
The pause, described as temporary by a US official speaking anonymously to discuss an internal directive, does not affect students with existing visa interview appointments. A cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, obtained by The Associated Press, instructs consular sections to refrain from adding new student or exchange visitor visa appointments until new guidance on expanded social media vetting is issued.
“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,” the cable states.
At a Tuesday briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce defended the move, stating, “We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who is coming here, whether they are students or otherwise.”
The suspension, first reported by Politico, marks another step in the Trump administration’s ongoing scrutiny of international students. Last week, Harvard University lost its ability to sponsor foreign students for visas, though a federal judge has temporarily blocked this decision following legal challenges. Earlier this year, the administration revoked the legal status of thousands of international students, prompting some to leave the US amid deportation fears. After successful lawsuits, their status was reinstated, but new grounds for terminating legal status were introduced.
The Trump administration previously tightened visa applicant checks by reviewing social media accounts, a policy that continued under President Joe Biden. The current expansion of vetting could lead to significant delays, potentially disrupting plans for international students aiming to enrol in US colleges, boarding schools, or exchange programmes for summer and autumn terms.
A prolonged pause in visa processing may also strain university budgets, as many institutions rely on international students, who typically pay full tuition, to offset reductions in federal research funding.
