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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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The Trump administration has ordered a freeze on all new student visa interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates, as it weighs a plan to require foreign applicants to undergo social media vetting, officials told the Associated Press.
The cable, dated Tuesday and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, outlines the forthcoming shift in vetting procedures. The Trump administration is also considering a policy that would require all foreign students applying to study in the United States to undergo social media screening.
"We have said before: the students are not a threat and the way this is framed within a national security lens, as if students are a threat when we know that students make up no more than 6 percent of total enrollment in the United States," Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA, Association of International Educators, told Newsweek.
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Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Pausing the visa category, which saw over 400,000 issuances in fiscal year 2024, would mark a shift in the Trump administration's efforts to limit immigration, dramatically slow down the process for international students, and potentially cut off more funding to institutions that welcome them.
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What To Know
"Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days," the State Department cable states. Septel is shorthand for "separate telegram."
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) began planning increased screening of immigrants' social media accounts in early March, stating that it would increase national security.
People applying for permanent residency (green cards) or citizenship from within the U.S. were already required to provide social media account information, but expanding the program to those planning to immigrate to the U.S. was aimed at around 2.5 million yearly immigrants.
The State Department's involvement in the process occurs at the embassy or consular level, where its staff determines eligibility for visas during interviews.
Pauses like the one reported Tuesday are not uncommon when the department is rolling out new policies, but this would come after months of focus by the administration on international students.
The State and Homeland Security departments have revoked or attempted to revoke student visas from those already studying at American schools.
Much of the focus has been on those allegedly linked to pro-Palestinian protests on campuses over the past year, with Rubio arguing that some actions and words were pro-Hamas, and therefore against U.S. foreign policy.
Last week, the administration announced it would revoke Harvard's ability to accept international students, a move that was quickly challenged and subsequently paused in the courts. President Donald Trump later called for a list of all foreign students at the school, saying many of their home countries paid nothing toward their education in the U.S.
What People Are Saying
Asked about the suspension at a briefing Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. uses every available resource to vet people applying for visas: "We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that's coming here, whether they are students or otherwise."
Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA, Association of International Educators, told Newsweek: "We will be asking Congress to demand transparency from this administration, to step forward in letting the administration know the potential consequences that this will have for the fall semester and for the foreseeable future for students who have been wanting to come to the United States."
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, on X (formerly Twitter): "Trump's decision to suspend student visa interviews threatens nearly $44 billion in economic contributions and over 370,000 jobs across the United States, according to NAFSA. If the United States stops taking foreign students, the economic impact would be catastrophic."
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in a statement about Harvard last week: "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments."
What Happens Next
A U.S. official told AP Tuesday the suspension is meant to be temporary and will not affect applicants who already have scheduled visa interviews. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential administration document.
A prolonged pause in student visa scheduling could cause delays that disrupt the enrollment plans of college, boarding school, and exchange students for the summer and fall terms.
A decline in international student enrollment may also strain university budgets. Many institutions have relied on full-tuition-paying international students to offset reductions in federal research funding.
Update 5/27/25, 1:22 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Fanta Aw.
Update 5/27/25, 7:30 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and remarks.
This article contains reporting by The Associated Press.
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