The Trump administration has directed American embassies to cease scheduling appointments for student visas, as it prepares to broaden social media screening for such applicants, reports BBC.
According to a memo sent to diplomatic missions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the suspension would remain in place “until further guidance is issued”.
Rubio directed America’s embassies and consulates worldwide to stop scheduling student visa interviews as the administration considers more expansive vetting of the social media profiles of applicants.
The order is the latest effort by the administration to restrict international students’ entry to the US over claims that they might promote antisemitism or otherwise threaten national security.
“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 (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued," the order says.
The order indicated that social media vetting would be intensified for both student and foreign exchange visa applications — a move described as having “significant implications” for US embassies and consulates.
The decision comes amid Trump’s ongoing dispute with some of America’s most prestigious universities, which he has accused of being excessively left-leaning. He has claimed that certain institutions have enabled antisemitism on campus and maintain discriminatory admissions policies.
A diplomatic cable instructed embassies on Tuesday to cancel any unfilled student visa appointments. However, it added that previously scheduled appointments could proceed as planned.
The State Department confirmed it is preparing to implement an “expansion of required social media screening and vetting” for all student visa applications.
Foreign students hoping to study in the US are typically required to attend interviews at American embassies in their home countries before visa approval. Many universities rely heavily on international students, who often pay substantially higher tuition fees, to support their finances.
Responding to questions about the move, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday: “We take very seriously the process of vetting who it is that comes into the country, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Rubio had signalled more restrictions on visa applicants and holders just last week.
“A visa is not a right, it’s a privilege,” Rubio said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on May 20, noting that the State Department was going to “continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education”.
“If you tell me that you’re coming to the United States to lead campus crusades, to take over libraries and try to burn down buildings … we will deny you a visa,” he said.
The Trump administration has already frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in university funding, attempted to deport foreign students, and revoked thousands of visas — though many of these actions have since been blocked by the courts.
The White House has accused certain US universities of allowing pro-Palestinian activism on campuses to be overtaken by antisemitic sentiment, while the institutions themselves have accused the Trump administration of infringing on free speech rights.
Harvard University has become a particular target of President Trump’s criticism. Last week, the administration revoked Harvard’s right to enrol international students or host visiting researchers — a decision that was quickly halted by a federal judge.
If the policy were to be upheld, it could deal a severe blow to the university, where more than one in four students are from overseas.