The White House administration has suspended the appointment of new interviews for student visas in American embassies around the world. This is reported by Politico, citing an internal telegram sent out by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
According to the document, consular departments should not increase the number of available slots for enrolling for F, M and J visa categories (study and exchange programmes) until they receive new instructions. The main reason is to prepare for the introduction of an enhanced vetting procedure for applicants, including analysing their social media activity.
How this check would be carried out, and exactly on what grounds consular services will focus, remains to be seen. Politico raises the concern that these programs have the potential to slow down the processing of visa applications, especially over the peak summer months, and negatively affect US universities, which rely heavily on foreign students both academically as well as financially.
The White House reaction comes after tense relations between the administration of Donald Trump and a number of leading American universities. The situation concerning Harvard University has grown particularly tense. The reason lies in the fact that students participated in pro-Palestinian activities in 2023-2024, which, as the representatives of the administration indicated, testifies to anti-Semitic sentiments on the campus. Therefore, in April the US government froze more than $2.2bn of Harvard funding in grants and contracts. The university was subsequently removed from the programme that gives it the right to admit international students, prompting a wave of criticism from the academic community.
If the new rules are officially implemented, they will become a serious barrier for international students planning to study in the US. In addition to lengthened visa application deadlines, potential applicants could face the risk of rejection due to unclear social media screening criteria. This could not only reduce the influx of talented students from abroad, but also damage the reputation of the US higher education system as open and inclusive.
