U.S. Freezes Student Visa Appointments
(MENAFN) According to local news sources, a recent directive from the U.S. government has instructed all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to temporarily stop scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants. This pause coincides with the government's contemplation of mandating social media screenings for every foreign student applying to study in the United States. The order, revealed in a cable dated Tuesday and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, signals an imminent shift in visa vetting procedures.
The communication states, "Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued, which we anticipate in the coming days." However, the cable does not clarify the specific criteria or content that the future social media reviews will target.
Previously, the U.S. had introduced social media checks primarily focusing on students returning from abroad, particularly those suspected of involvement in protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza. This new directive represents a substantial broadening of those earlier protocols.
This halt in visa processing is expected to affect thousands of international students and may further contribute to the ongoing decline in foreign enrollment at American universities, local reports suggest.
Moreover, the U.S. government has intensified scrutiny of higher education institutions—especially prestigious and liberal ones like Harvard University—accusing them of fostering antisemitism on campus. Concurrently, immigration enforcement actions have led to arrests of several students, underscoring the tightening controls in this sector.
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