The Trump administration has been increasingly targeting foreign students, including pausing all new student visa interview appointments.
This decision follows earlier actions such as blocking funding to Harvard and issuing repeated warnings to international students.
The U.S. Department of State is planning to implement social media vetting before granting visas.
U.S. Department of State Planning To Implement Social Media Vetting Before Granting Visas
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an internal cable seen by Reuters, stated that the department will soon issue updated guidance on social media vetting for student and exchange visitor applicants.
Rubio recommended that consulates pause the scheduling of new visa appointments for these applicants until the new guidance is released.
This broader plan for mandatory social media vetting could slow down visa processing and financially impact U.S. universities.
Social media vetting involves reviewing an applicant’s online activity to assess their eligibility for a U.S. visa.
Officials will examine platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and TikTok.
The initiative is seen as part of a wider Trump administration crackdown on foreign students, particularly after widespread pro-Palestine protests on U.S. campuses.
Administration Demanded Records of International Students From Harvard University
The move comes shortly after the administration demanded records of international students from Harvard University.
Trump’s government had previously imposed limited social media checks, mainly targeting returning students.
The current directive does not provide full details of the new vetting process.
However, it refers to executive orders aimed at combating terrorism and antisemitism.
A Politico report stated: “It’s unclear, for example, whether posting photos of a Palestinian flag on an X account could force a student to undergo additional scrutiny.”
There have been past instances of action taken against students and professors due to social media content.
In March, Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a professor at Brown University, was deported after Iranian leader photos were found on her phone.
She had also attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in February.
Students who already have visa interview appointments scheduled will not be affected.
Rubio clarified in the cable that currently scheduled appointments may continue under existing rules.
However, any open appointments not yet booked should be taken down.
The cable stated: “The 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.”
The push for collecting social media handles dates back to 2019, when the Department of State updated visa application forms to request this information.
This policy was initially proposed in 2018 in the Federal Register and was implemented with national security in mind.
A past official release stated: “National security is our top priority when adjudicating visa applications, and every prospective traveller and immigrant to the United States undergoes extensive security screening. We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect U.S. citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.”
The State Department said that collecting social media data would improve the accuracy of identity verification and strengthen applicant vetting.
Source:https://trak.in/stories/us-govt-will-give-student-visa-based-on-social-media-vetting-what-exactly-it-is/