On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced the resumption of the visa application process for foreign students, mandating that applicants provide access to their social media accounts as part of the evaluation process.
In an official notification, the State Department confirmed that consular officials will review the online content posted by visa applicants for any messages considered hostile towards the United States, its government, culture, institutions, or foundational principles.
This measure, effective immediately, comes on the heels of a temporary suspension of student visa processing initiated in May under the administration of President Donald Trump.
Under the new guidelines, non-immigrant visa applicants categorized under F, M, or J must list all usernames and social media accounts from every platform they have used in the last five years on the DS-160 application form.
Applicants are required to certify that the information provided is accurate and truthful before submitting their application. Omitting required information could lead to the denial of the visa application.
According to the Department of State, visa applicants who do not make their social media profiles accessible to consular staff may face application denial, as such refusals could be interpreted as attempts to conceal pertinent information.
“The enhanced social media evaluation will ensure that we are properly assessing each individual who is trying to visit our country,” the official statement clarified.
This announcement has drawn immediate backlash from civil rights advocacy groups. Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, criticized the policy for transforming consular officials into censors, warning that it may have a chilling effect on legitimate political speech both within and outside the U.S.
In addition to social media scrutiny, the new policy prioritizes visa approvals for students aiming to attend universities where international students make up less than 15% of the student body.
However, data indicates that over 200 U.S. universities, including the Ivy League institutions and several public universities, exceed this threshold, raising further concerns among potential applicants.
Students from countries like China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines have expressed apprehensions on social media and academic forums. Many are monitoring the availability of consular appointments closely to meet the deadlines for the upcoming academic year.
Some have voiced concerns that the social media requirement is an invasion of privacy and could serve as an arbitrary basis for exclusion from the visa process.
This new measure is part of a broader array of restrictions imposed on international students during this administration. Other limitations include expanded grounds for revoking legal status, more stringent background checks, and pressures to reduce the foreign presence in elite universities like Harvard.
The policy also aligns with a broader diplomatic initiative, as the United States has urged 36 countries to upgrade their traveler verification processes, warning that non-compliance could result in inclusion on the travel ban list within a two-month timeframe.
With these new directives, the U.S. government is tightening its immigration policies, directly affecting nearly one million international students each year who significantly enhance the economy and reputation of U.S. higher education.
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