The Trump administration has ordered US embassies worldwide to stop scheduling student visa interviews, effective immediately. This move is part of a broader effort to expand social media vetting for international applicants, potentially slowing down visa processing and impacting universities that rely heavily on foreign students.
According to a cable sent by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, consular sections are instructed not to add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued. Interviews that have already been scheduled can proceed as planned.
This directive could severely impact universities that rely on international students for revenue and cultural exchange. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the US hosted over 1.1 million foreign students, with India and China being among the top countries of origin. Foreign students contributed approximately $43 billion to the US economy during the same period.
The Trump administration's plan to expand social media vetting aims to identify potential security threats and combat antisemitism. However, critics argue that this move could be "cataclysmic" for international students and US universities that rely on them. Immigration attorney David Leopold warns that halting or slowing visa applications would have significant economic and cultural impacts.
The directive has raised concerns among university administrators and immigration experts. Harvard University, which has a significant international student body, is particularly affected. Last week, the Trump administration revoked Harvard's ability to enroll international students, but a federal judge blocked the move.
The State Department has not provided a timeline for when the new guidance on social media vetting will be issued. Until then, US embassies and consulates will not schedule new student visa interviews. This pause could lead to delays and backlogs in the student visa process, affecting hundreds of thousands of students globally.
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