It seems the State Department is getting ready to vet the social media accounts of overseas college students who wish to attend faculty within the U.S. earlier than granting them visas.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered all U.S. embassies to cease scheduling new interviews for sure visas, together with these utilized by worldwide college students.
Rubio’s message, which was despatched through cable to all of the U.S. embassies, stated that “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.”
Politico, which obtained the cable, famous that “Septel” is State Department shorthand for “separate telegram.”
Although the cable notes the White home needs a possible pupil’s social media accounts to be thought-about when granting visas, Politico identified that it didn’t particularly record the standards that will be used to evaluate a visa.
The coverage change comes amid the president’s battle on elite instructional establishments like Harvard, which he claims will not be doing sufficient to cease on-campus antisemitism, a time period he defines to incorporate help for Palestinians in Gaza.
In addition to college students, the brand new pointers would apply to alternate guests, similar to visiting interns, au pairs, instructors and others.
The adjustments wouldn’t solely decelerate the visa course of for college students, it may additionally financially impression universities that obtain tuition from overseas college students.
A U.S. official, talking on situation of anonymity, instructed the Associated Press the suspension of interviews can be non permanent and received’t have an effect on candidates who’ve already scheduled interviews for pupil visas.
Rubio’s directive comes after the Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s capacity to enroll worldwide college students, a transfer that was rapidly blocked by a federal decide.
The administration has additionally revoked the authorized standing of 1000’s of worldwide college students already within the U.S., main some to go away the nation out of deportation fears.
Preliminary courtroom rulings appeared to favor the scholars’ rights in lots of circumstances, and the federal government reacted by increasing the grounds for terminating worldwide college students’ authorized standing.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-embassies-may-vet-foreign-students-social-media-for-visas_n_683644cee4b06a204c7eaa78