Washington, June 19: The U.S. State Department has resumed processing student visa applications after a temporary suspension, but with a new, sweeping requirement: all applicants must grant public access to their social media accounts for consular review. Those who refuse could be denied a visa, the department warned.
The policy, part of an expanded ideological vetting framework, directs consular officers to scrutinize applicants’ online posts for any content deemed hostile to American values, institutions, or founding principles.
“Refusing to make social media profiles public may be interpreted as an attempt to evade security screening or conceal questionable online behavior,” a department notice said. The move comes amid tighter restrictions on international students under the Trump administration, which paused visa interviews in May to prepare for these heightened reviews.
The announcement sparked anxiety among prospective students, many of whom have been repeatedly refreshing consulate websites for updates. A 27-year-old Chinese Ph.D. student based in Toronto, identified only as Chen, secured a visa appointment for next week. “I’m really relieved,” he said. “I’ve been checking the site multiple times a day.”
International students from China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines have been especially vocal online, sharing updates and expressing frustration over the uncertainty and intensified scrutiny.
The State Department is also instructing consulates to prioritize visa processing for applicants enrolling in institutions where international students make up less than 15% of the student body—a move that could disadvantage those headed to elite universities, where foreign enrolment routinely exceeds that threshold.
An internal official, speaking anonymously, said nearly 200 U.S. universities—including all Ivy League schools and more than two dozen major public institutions like the University of Illinois and Penn State—could be affected.
While the government insists this policy is about national security, critics say it bears uncomfortable echoes of the Cold War era.
“This smacks of ideological vetting,” said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. “It recalls a time when artists and intellectuals were barred from entering the U.S. simply for holding dissenting views.”
International students have already faced a series of policy reversals in recent months. Earlier this year, some had their status revoked over minor offenses, including traffic violations, before the administration reversed course. At the same time, officials have floated the idea of capping foreign enrolment at elite universities like Harvard, which relies heavily on tuition from international students.
“The new screening protocols,” the State Department said, “ensure we are properly vetting every single person seeking to enter the country.” As the fall semester approaches, thousands of students now face not just logistical hurdles, but also the burden of digital transparency as a condition for academic opportunity.
