The United States State Department has revealed that it will screen the social media and online presence of all foreign nationals applying for student and other visas.
The plan could significantly slow down student visa processing and hurt universities who rely heavily on international students who benefit them financially.
In data released by the Association of International Educators, it was found that international students attending college in the U.S. contributed US$43.8 billion to the local economy in the 2023-24 academic year.
According to a cable obtained by POLITICO, officers are instructed to review applicants' online presence for any “indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.”
It also instructed embassies to flag any “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security” and “support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.” Support for Hamas has been listed as a specific example.
Those applying for F, M and J nonimmigration visas will also be instructed to adjust their privacy settings and set their profiles to “public”. Those who fail to do so will be notified and could be seen as evasive.
The revised social media vetting rules are in a bid to make U.S. universities safer according to an official.
“It is an expectation from American citizens that their government will make every effort to make our country safer, and that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing every single day,” a senior state department official said.
Amid the changes, counselors who work with foreign students seeking to attend college in the U.S. have begun advising them to purge their social media of any posts that could attract the attention of State Department officials.
The updated rules are also likely part of Trump’s efforts to punish pro-Palestine rallies in American universities and colleges and come as the Trump administration seeks to limit pathways to legal immigration in the country.
