State Department Temporarily Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Plans to Expand Social Media Vetting

The U.S. State Department has temporarily paused the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students and exchange visitors as it prepares to implement expanded screening of applicants’ social media activity, officials confirmed Tuesday.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said the suspension does not affect applicants who already have scheduled interviews. The pause is expected to be temporary while guidance on the new vetting measures is finalized.

According to a department cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press, consular sections have been directed not to add any new student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until new guidance on social media screening 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 briefing Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the government will continue to use all available resources to assess visa applicants. “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.

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The move, first reported by Politico, comes amid a broader crackdown on international student visas by the Trump administration. Last week, Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students was revoked, removing the school from the program that permits colleges to sponsor student visas. That decision has been challenged in court and is currently blocked by a federal judge.

Earlier this spring, the administration also revoked the legal status of thousands of international students already in the country, prompting some to depart the U.S. out of concern over deportation. Following a wave of successful legal challenges from students, the administration reinstated their legal status but also expanded the criteria under which students' legal status could be revoked in the future.

While the Trump administration originally implemented social media vetting for visa applicants, the policy has continued under President Joe Biden’s administration.

A prolonged delay in student visa processing could potentially disrupt enrollment plans for international students preparing for summer and fall academic terms. Such disruptions may also financially impact universities that rely on full-tuition payments from international students to offset reductions in federal research funding.