The Trump administration has told US embassies around the world to stop scheduling new interviews for international student visas, according to The Guardian. The move comes as the government plans to expand social media checks for all student and exchange visitor visa applicants. A State Department message sent on Tuesday said: “Consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued.” The instruction applies to student and exchange visas, which many foreign students need to study in the US. The pause could lead to long delays in visa processing and impact universities that depend on international students for income. More than one million international students were studying in the US in the past year, contributing nearly $43.8 billion to the US economy, according to the NAFSA association. The new policy comes as the Trump administration looks to tighten rules for student visas. The government says it wants to expand social media vetting for all student visa applicants. Consular officers will be expected to look at posts, likes, comments and shares on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and X, to check for any signs of content they see as a national security threat. In a cable seen by The Guardian, the administration said the new rule is part of a review of how visas are screened and processed. Since March, consular officers have already been checking the social media of students who joined pro-Palestinian protests, taking screenshots of posts considered “potentially derogatory” even if the content was later deleted. The wider expansion would apply to all student visa applicants, not just those flagged for activism. President Donald Trump has also accused some universities of promoting far-left ideas, and his administration has linked the new visa checks to efforts to fight antisemitism. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that thousands of student visas had already been revoked. “I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” he told senators. The suspension of visa interviews comes just months before the new academic year begins, raising concerns that many students may not be able to reach the US in time. Universities across the country are warning that this could affect not just students but also research, teaching, and funding.
