What the U.S. social media vetting for student visas means to applicants | Explained Premium
The Hindu
A cable in late May signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly ordered a temporary halt to scheduling visa appointments.
The story so far: Foreign students hoping to study in the U.S. may soon face increased scrutiny as the Trump administration is considering taking measures to collect more information from the social media accounts of foreign student visa applicants.
Ahead of these changes, reports emerged that the scheduling of student visa interviews have been put on hold as officials worldwide await further guidance. This triggered panic among students worried that their education in the U.S. could be delayed or blocked.
The U.S. Department of State defines a social media identifier/handle as “any name used by the individual on social media platforms including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.”
A cable in late May that was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and shared by the Politico outlet, ordered a temporary halt to scheduling visa appointments.
“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 septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,” Mr. Rubio’s cable quoted by Politico stated, referring to telegram guidance that would be issued separately.
The collection of visa applicants’ social media handles is not a new measure. The U.S. Department of State noted that it updated its non-immigrant visa online application form (DS-160), the paper back-up version of the non-immigrant visa application (DS-156), and the online immigrant visa application form (DS-260), to collect applicants’ social media identifiers. The changes were implemented from May 2019, citing U.S. national security as a top priority.
However, Mr. Rubio’s latest cable suggests closer scrutiny of visa applicants’ social media posts in the future, and especially if they are foreign students. Foreign visa applicants heading to Harvard University may also face this treatment.
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