According to reports from multiple U.S. media outlets on the 27th, the Trump administration has temporarily halted new student visa interviews and is considering expanding the scope of social media scrutiny for international students.
The reports cite a notice dated the 27th, signed by Secretary of State Rubio, stating that the Trump administration is considering requiring all international students applying to study in the U.S. to undergo social media scrutiny. In preparation for implementing this requirement, the government has instructed U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to suspend scheduling new interviews for student and exchange visitor visa applicants. Previously scheduled visa interviews can still proceed.
The reports suggest that if the U.S. government implements this scrutiny plan, it may significantly slow down the processing speed of student visas and could adversely affect many U.S. universities that rely on international students to boost financial income.
Previously, the Trump administration had already implemented some social media scrutiny requirements for international students. According to prior reports by The New York Times, on March 25th, Rubio instructed mandatory social media scrutiny for certain student and exchange visitor visa applicants, with one of the main objectives being to deny visa applications from students sympathetic to Palestinians and those who criticize the U.S. and Israel.
Since Trump's return to the White House, he has targeted multiple U.S. universities, demanding the eradication of "anti-Semitism on campus" and the abolition of diversity initiatives favoring minority groups.