US Reopens Student Visa Processing for Foreigners, Mandates Social Media Access From Applicants
The US State Department has announced that it is restarting the suspended student visa process but will require all foreign applicants to provide access to their social media accounts as part of expanded security screening.
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Social Media Review Now Mandatory
In a notice released Wednesday, the State Department said any applicants who refuse to set their social media profiles to public for government review may be denied a visa.
Officials warned that failure to comply could be interpreted as an attempt to hide potentially disqualifying content.
Consular officers will scrutinize posts and messages for signs of hostility toward the United States, including sentiments critical of its government, institutions, culture, or founding principles.
Prioritizing Certain Universities
In reopening the visa process, the State Department also directed consulates to prioritize applications from students planning to enroll at colleges where international students account for less than 15% of the student body.
According to a U.S. official speaking anonymously, this policy would give preference to hundreds of institutions while potentially disadvantaging applicants accepted to universities with higher proportions of foreign students.
An Associated Press analysis of federal data found that more than 15% of students are international at nearly 200 U.S. universities. This includes all eight Ivy League schools and more than two dozen public universities, such as the University of Illinois and Penn State.
Students Anxious as Deadlines Loom
The decision comes after a month-long suspension of new visa interviews while the Trump administration prepared to expand screening requirements. Students around the world have been left in limbo as they try to book travel and secure housing ahead of the new academic year.
International students in the United States have faced mounting scrutiny, with the administration earlier revoking the visas of thousands of students—some of whom had only minor infractions—before reversing course amid backlash.
Targeting Ivy League Institutions
The administration has also escalated pressure on elite universities like Harvard, arguing that foreign enrollment should be capped at 15%. Harvard currently counts international students as roughly a quarter of its student population and relies heavily on their tuition.
In its statement, the State Department defended the new measures as necessary to protect national security.
“This will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country,” the department said.
Internal guidance instructs consular officers to look for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States.”
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