The Trump administration has instructed embassies around the world to halt student visa interviews till further notice. In a cable sent to American embassies the world over, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the embassies to carry on with interviews that are already scheduled, but not to schedule any interviews for vacant time slots in the future.
The temporary halt in visa interviews is to allow for expanded social media screening for candidates applying for F, M, or J visas to study in the United States. The cable does not elaborate on what the vetting would entail, but it “alludes to executive orders that are aimed at keeping out terrorists and battling antisemitism,” according to a Politico report.
This development comes at a tumultuous time for international students in the United States.
In April, the legal status of around 1800 international students was altered as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown; many had their visas revoked, while others’ SEVIS records were terminated. Some of these students were involved in legal issues — sometimes as minor as a traffic infraction — while others were deported or detained because of their involvement in pro-Palestinian protests, including Indian PhD. student Ranjani Srinivasan, and Indian postdoctoral scholar Badar Khan Suri, among others. Srinivasan self-deported in March, while Suri was detained at an ICE facility before being released on May 14 after a District Judge in Virginia ruled that his detention violated his First and Fifth Amendment rights.
“The U.S. State Department’s decision to pause new student visa appointments to expand social media vetting is alarming, especially for Indian students aiming for Fall 2025 admissions,” said Ajay Bhutoria, a former member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. “While I support rigorous vetting for security, this pause risks creating significant backlogs, threatening the academic dreams of thousands of Indian students.”
He pointed out that around 300,000 Indian students in the U.S. contribute $8 billion to the American economy. Between January and September 2024, there was a 38% drop in F-1 visas issued to Indian students, coupled with a shortage of visa slots. The temporary hold on visa application interviews could further strain this partnership, he said.