In another effort to crack down on immigration and limit the presence of international students in the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed an order on Tuesday instructing U.S consulates and embassies to stop scheduling visa interviews for foreign students. While the Trump Administration has already been screening international students’ social media accounts, the screenings have been more limited compared to the requirements that will soon be implemented. Details of the updated screening requirements have not been released yet, but Secretary Rubio confirmed that the Administration is preparing to expand the vetting process and social media screening requirements for prospective foreign students. Pausing new visa appointments will significantly affect universities that profit from international student enrollment. The decision to expand the screening requirements follows thousands of F-1 (student visa) terminations and, most recently, a lawsuit between Harvard and the Trump Administration based on its termination of Harvard’s SEVP program.
We are interested to see what these new requirements will be and will keep you updated. In the meantime, if you have questions, contact us and we would be happy to speak with you.