The administration of President Donald trump has stopped US student visa processing in all the embassies and consulates of the United States across the world. The stoppage order was issued on Tuesday by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
According to Rubio, the new stoppage will allow US to start vetting the social media usage of applicants who file for the US student visa.
“The Department of State is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,” cable signed by Rubio and seen by news agency AFP stated.
The cable further stated that the newly expanded social media vetting will require consular sections where US interviews are conducted to modify their operations, processes and allocation of resources. The cable further stated that consular sections will need to take into consideration the workload and resource requirements of each case before scheduling them once appointments and interviews resume.
Ex US Visa Officer: What visa officers think about you as you approach them
According to US immigration lawyer Brad Bernstein, the State Department has claimed that the stoppage is temporary because they want to implement a new policy of review every person’s social media accounts before the student visa interview.
“That includes all online activity, posts, shares, comments and even likes. Based on what your social media activity is, that will determine at least partially whether you will get a student visa,” said Bernstein.
“You have to assume that expressions of political opinions, participation in certain demonstrations and or sharing certain content could be debilitating to you getting a student visa.”
Bernstein noted that while making your social media accounts private, applicants should assume that the US government would still be able to look into their private activities on social media.
