The United States has resumed the suspended process for foreign student visa applications, but with a new requirement: applicants must make their social media profiles public to allow government officials to conduct in-depth online vetting.
In a statement released Wednesday, the US State Department said consular officers will now be instructed to examine social media posts for any content deemed hostile to the United States—its people, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.
Visa applicants who refuse to comply with the requirement to unlock their social media settings may be considered evasive and risk rejection. “A refusal to do so could be a sign they are trying to hide their online activity,” the notice warned.
Read: US expands student visa screening amid pro-Palestinian activism
This new directive comes after a temporary suspension of visa processing issued on May 28, as the Trump administration reviewed its screening process for foreign students. The administration’s broader aim is to prevent individuals considered national security risks from entering the country.
In internal guidance sent to consulates, officers were told to screen for individuals who support designated terrorist organisations or who engage in, support, or promote unlawful antisemitic acts or violence.
The updated visa guidance applies to F visas for academic students, M visas for vocational students, and J visas for exchange visitors. Applicants under all three categories are now expected to set their social media privacy settings to “public.”
A senior State Department official defended the new rules by citing national security concerns: “It is an expectation from American citizens that their government will make every effort to make our country safer, and that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing every single day.”
International students have been anxiously awaiting visa interviews, as the window to arrange travel and accommodation for the academic year narrows.
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Students from China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines have been posting online about the uncertainty, closely monitoring visa booking websites and State Department press briefings for updates.
The State Department said, “To facilitate this vetting,” all applicants “will be asked to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to ‘public’.”
The tougher vetting comes amid a broader crackdown by President Donald Trump on elite US universities, which he accuses of being politically biased and lenient toward pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Harvard University has been a particular target, with the administration moving to block it from enrolling foreign students. Trump has proposed capping Harvard’s international student intake at 15% and has frozen $2.65 billion in federal funding to the institution.
In a related move, the Trump administration has also issued a diplomatic cable to 36 countries, warning them to enhance their traveler vetting systems within 60 days or risk being added to the US travel ban list. That list currently includes 12 countries.
