The Trump administration is resuming the process for foreigners to apply for student visas, but with a caveat: all prospective international students will now have to unlock their social media accounts for the US government to review, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Wednesday, which cited the US State Department.
According to the report, US consular officers will now be scrutinising potentially hostile posts and messages that could be deemed insulting to the American government, culture, institutions or founding principles of the United States.
The administration revoked its suspension of the student visa process announced in May and said all new applicants who refuse to make their social media accounts “public” for the government to review may be rejected, in a sign they could be trying to “evade” the due process or “hide their online activity”, the report further said, citing the US State department notice made public Wednesday.
Additionally, consulates will now focus on students hoping to attend colleges where foreigners make up less than 15% of the student body, an official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
In a 2023 analysis of federal education data, the publication found that foreign students make up more than 15% of the total student body at nearly 200 American universities. This includes mostly private universities like all eight Ivy League schools, as well as 26 public institutions, including the University of Illinois and Penn State University, the report said. When it comes to undergraduates, the foreign student percentage exceeds 15% at about 100 universities.
Just this past spring, thousands of international students, even those involved only in offenses like traffic violations, saw their permission to study in the US revoked.
The Trump administration last month temporarily halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students hoping to study in the US while preparing to expand the screening of their activity on social media.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had ordered embassies and consular offices to stop scheduling new visa interviews for student applicants as the Trump administration mulled strict vetting of applicants’ social media profiles, Politico reported.
“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,” a cable obtained by Politico stated. (“Septel” is State Department shorthand for “separate telegram.”
While the cable did not detail at the time what social media activity would be reviewed, it reportedly referred to executive orders focussed on counterterrorism and antisemitism.
Previous guidance from administration included social media checks for returning students who had participated in protests related to Gaza.
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