The Trump administration has paused new visa interviews for international students set to attend US universities.United States President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its embassies abroad to stop scheduling new visa interview appointments for students and exchange visitors, according to an internal cable seen by news agencies on Tuesday.In the memo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the pause is in place because the State Department plans to expand the screening of student applicants’ social media.
What happened?
Rubio signed a cable, obtained by multiple news agencies, asking US embassies all over the world to pause new visa interviews for foreign students.
The cable says: “The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants.
“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity.”
Most international students hold the F-1 student visa. The J-1 visa is granted to students in exchange or scholarship programmes such as the Fulbright fellowship; professors participating in exchange programmes; and interns. The M-1 visa is granted to students participating in training programmes in the US.
A US official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity that the halt is temporary and does not apply to students who have already scheduled their visa interviews. It is unclear how long the halt is for.
Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the US State Department, declined to comment on reports of the memo, but she told reporters at a regular news briefing that the US will utilise “every tool” to screen anyone who wants to enter the country.
“We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” Bruce said on Tuesday.
How many foreign students go to the US each year?
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of international students in US institutions grew to an all-time high of 1.13 million, according to the annual Open Doors report from the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the US State Department. This number marks a 6.6 percent increase in the number of international students enrolled in US colleges and universities from the year before.
Which countries do these students come from?
According to the Open Doors report, 71.5 percent of the international students enrolled in the US between 2023 and 2024 were from Asia.