The United States has directed its embassies and consulates worldwide to resume student visa appointments that were paused in May as it updated its guidelines to vet the applicants for any hostile attitude towards the country.
The State Department announced that as part of the process to facilitate vetting under new guidelines all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public.”
The U.S. consular service will examine the “entire online presence” of students and exchange visa applicants, a news report said Thursday.
According to CNN, “limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity.” Citing a cable, the channel reported that additional vetting seeks to ascertain if student visa applicants have “hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.”
In May, President Donald Trump’s Administration directed its consulates and embassies worldwide to pause new student visa appointments as it worked to expand social media vetting of applicants seeking visas to study at American colleges.
The pause, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, took effect in the backdrop of massive protests against Gaza war last years and measures taken against protestors including cancelling visas of some of them.
U.S. officials argued at that time that U.S. visa is a privilege for students who come to study in the country and that activities of some participants violate the rules and hinder the conduct of Washington’s foreign policy.
On Wednesday, The State Department said Wednesday American overseas diplomatic missions will resume scheduling F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa applications soon and that prospective applicants should check the relevant embassy or consulate website for appointment availability.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the State Department said in a media note.
“The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”
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Huma Nisar is Associate Editor at Views News Now. She also writes opinion articles on health, society and diet.
