International students applying for visas in the US will be exposed to more stringent social media screenings, the State Department announced.
Trump administration restores visa registrations for foreign students
The Trump administration has restored visa registrations for potentially thousands of foreign students.
WASHINGTON – International students applying for visas to study in the US will receive stricter social media screenings to advance, the Trump administration says.
Their entire online presence, including social media media activities, is reviewed during the visa application process for signs of hostility towards the principles of citizens, culture, government, institutions and democracy.
The State Department announced the policy on June 18th after the leaked guidance was released in May.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the embassy about strengthening social media review protocols as he halted interviews on new student visa applications.
Additional screenings initially affected students who applied to Harvard University. However, in a message outlined the new screening measures obtained by multiple outlets in late May, Rubio said the review process was intended to serve as a pilot program.
At the time, the State Department told USA Today that since 2019, it had requested visa applicants to provide a social media identifier, and had been able to continually avoid all visa holders during their stay.
In a statement announcing the June 18th student visa interview reopening and the new online screening policy, the Department of State said under new guidance, the consul officials will conduct a comprehensive and thorough review of all student and exchange visitor applicants.
Visa applicants who fall under these guidelines will be asked to publish their social media profiles. Not doing this could be interpreted as an intention to hide activity or avoid policy, leading to rejection, the administration signaled.
The Trump administration previously pulled visas at numerous universities for more than 4,700 students this spring, and later revived it. The removal of their visas has filed more than 100 lawsuits, and many visa cancellations have been blocked in court.
The Trump administration has actively implemented visa restrictions last month, completely or partially excluded from 19 countries, Chinese students and foreign visitors to the US from studying or visiting Harvard University.
Since then, the judge has stopped the administration from blocking Harvard’s ability to register international students. Travel restrictions came into effect on June 9th.
