US State Department orders embassies to pause student visa appointments as it considers expanding social media vetting

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

The US State Department has instructed US embassies and consulates around the world to pause new student visa appointments as it develops guidance to expand “social media screening and vetting” to all applicants for student visas, according to a diplomatic cable seen by CNN.

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It’s the latest move from the Trump administration that could deter international students from studying at universities in the United States.

The cable, issued on Tuesday morning and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes as the Trump administration has revoked scores of student visas and after it moved to stop foreign students from studying at Harvard University, a move that has been halted by a judge for the time being.

The cable states that the State 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 State Department had already called for social media vetting of some applicants, largely related to alleged antisemitism. However, an expansion of the efforts could severely slow down the overall student visa issuance process.

Politico was first to report the news.

The cable notes that expanded social media screening and vetting of all the applicants for such visas could have “potentially significant implications for consular section operations, processes and resource allocations.”

As a result, the consular sections – which issue visas – “will need to take into consideration the workload requirements of each case prior to scheduling them going forward.”

It instructs embassies and consulates, effective immediately, not to add “any additional student or exchange visa…appointment capacity until further guidance is issued,” and to remove “appointments that are available, but not taken as of the release of this cable.”

Appointments that were already scheduled can still take place, the cable notes.

“Consular sections should remain focused on consular priorities including services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas, and fraud prevention,” it states.

CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment.