In a bold move signaling tighter security checks, the Trump administration has ordered U.S. missions abroad to pause scheduling new student and exchange visitor visa appointments. An internal State Department cable, seen by Reuters and first reported by Politico, lays out plans to expand social media vetting of all F, M, and J visa applicants.
According to the cable, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed consular sections to remove available slots from online booking tools until updated guidance is released. âThe Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,â it stated.
Already-scheduled appointments can move forward under current rules, but any unbooked slots should be pulled. Consular teams are also urged to balance these new requirements with ongoing services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas, and fraud prevention.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters, âWe will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is thatâs coming here, whether they are students or otherwise.â This shift comes amid a broader push by the administration to ramp up deportations and revoke visas as part of a hardline immigration agenda.
The policy has raised concerns among free-speech advocates. Some officials have indicated that student visa and green card holders could face deportation for criticizing foreign policy or supporting Palestinians in the Gaza conflict, branding such views a threat to U.S. interests.
Critics say the vetting expansion risks chilling academic debate. A Tufts University student from TĂźrkiye, detained for more than six weeks in Louisiana after co-authoring an opinion piece on her campusâs Gaza response, was released on bail by a federal judge.
Meanwhile, the administration recently moved to revoke Harvardâs permission to enroll international studentsâaround 6,800 individuals, or roughly 27% of the universityâs populationâescalating tensions with the nationâs oldest and wealthiest higher-education institution.
As the details of the new vetting process emerge, students worldwide are left waiting. With updated guidance expected soon, thousands of applicants will watch closely to see how social media screening will reshape global study opportunities.
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Trump administration halts scheduling of new student visa appointments
cgtn.com
