In a new development affecting foreign nationals seeking to study in the United States, the U.S. Department of State has announced it will resume processing student and visiting scholar visa applications—but with a significant change: applicants will now be required to make their social media profiles publicly accessible as part of an expanded national security screening process.
According to a notice posted Wednesday on the State Department’s official website, the revised protocol is intended to identify visa applicants who may “pose a threat to U.S. national security.” Consular officers will now review applicants’ social media activity for signs of “hostility” toward the U.S. or its citizens, though the Department did not provide further clarification on what constitutes such hostility.
“All students applying for a visa will need to set their social media profiles to ‘public,'”
the department stated, adding that failure to do so could result in visa denial.
This new requirement follows the Department’s temporary suspension of student visa interviews in May, which it said was to allow time for implementation of the updated vetting procedures.
The announcement adds another layer of uncertainty for international students, many of whom have faced ongoing delays and policy changes amid what critics describe as increasingly restrictive immigration and education policies under the Trump administration.
Earlier in May, the administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll new international students under the student visa sponsorship program—a move that was swiftly challenged in court and is currently under a federal injunction.
The United States hosts over one million international students, who collectively contribute more than $40 billion annually to the U.S. economy, according to the State Department. However, recent policy shifts have had a chilling effect on interest in American institutions. Preliminary data from education platforms suggest a significant drop in searches for U.S. university programs since January.
This downward trend may have serious financial and cultural implications for many American colleges and universities that depend on international students for tuition revenue as well as their contributions to academic life, campus diversity, and research innovation.
Ref: NPR
