International students applying for visas in the United States will be subjected to stricter social media screening, the State Department announced.
Trump administration restores visa registrations for foreign students
The Trump administration restored visa registrations for potentially thousands of foreign students.
WASHINGTON — International students applying for visas to study in the United States will be subjected to stricter social media screening moving forward, the Trump administration says.
Their entire online presence will be reviewed, including their social media media activity, during the visa application process for indications of hostility toward the country’s citizens, culture, government, institutions and democratic principles.
The State Department announced the policy on June 18, following the release of leaked guidance in May that signaled the changes were coming.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told embassies then about the enhanced social media vetting protocols, as he halted new student visa application interviews.
The added screening initially affected students who applied to Harvard, which the administration has been fighting with over allegations of antisemitism. But in a message outlining the new screening measures that was obtained by multiple outlets in late May, Rubio said the review process was intended serve as a pilot program.
At the time, the State Department told USA TODAY it had required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers since 2019 and that it continuously vets all visa holders for the duration of their stay.
In a statement announcing the resumption of student visa interviews and the new online screening policy on June 18, the State Department said that under new guidance, consular officers will be conducting a comprehensive and thorough vetting of all student and exchange visitor applicants.
Visa applicants who fall under these guidelines will be asked to make their social media profiles to public. Failing to do could be interpretated as an intent to hide activity or evade the policy and could lead to rejection, the administration signaled.
The Trump administration previously yanked, and then reinstated, visas at an array of universities for more than 4,700 students this spring. The removal of their visas had sparked more than 100 lawsuits and many visa cancellations were blocked in court.
The Trump administration has been aggressively introducing visa restrictions — fully or partially barring travelers to the United States from 19 countries, students from China and foreign nationals seeking to study at or visit Harvard over the last month.
A judge has since stopped the administration from blocking Harvard’s ability to enroll international students. The travel restrictions went into effect on June 9.
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