US halts student visa appointments and plans expanded social media vetting

The administration of US President Donald Trump has directed embassies to halt arranging appointments for student visas while it gets ready to broaden social media scrutiny of these applicants. In a copy of a memo distributed to diplomatic posts, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the pause would continue “until additional guidance is provided.”

The communication stated that social media scrutiny would be increased for student and foreign exchange visas, which would carry “considerable consequences” for embassies and consulates.

It arises during Trump’s conflict with several of the nation’s top universities, which he thinks lean too far to the left. He claims that some have facilitated antisemitism on campus and maintain biased admissions practices. The diplomatic cable additionally stated that the state department was getting ready for an “increase in mandatory social media screening and vetting” that would apply to all student visa applications. It does not specify what the vetting would search for.

International students aspiring to study in the US typically need to arrange interviews at an American embassy located in their home nation prior to receiving approval. Numerous institutions depend on international students for a considerable portion of their financial support, since they typically pay elevated tuition rates.

The Trump administration has halted hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for universities and sought to deport students, also canceling thousands of visas for others. Numerous actions have been prevented by the courts.

The White House has charged certain US universities with permitting pro-Palestinian activism on campus to be overtaken by antisemitism. Colleges have alleged that the Trump administration is attempting to violate free speech rights.

Harvard University has become the target of President Donald Trump’s anger. The Trump administration withdrew Harvard’s permission to admit international students or accommodate foreign researchers last week. A federal judge halted the policy. If the measure is permitted, it might deal a severe impact to the university, where over a quarter of the students are international.