The pause is temporary and does not apply to people who have scheduled visa interviews, a U.S. official said Tuesday (May 27). The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information concerns internal government documents.
In a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by the AP news agency, the US State Department said it is preparing to issue new guidance on increased social media checks for visa applicants.
“Effective immediately, in preparation for the expansion of mandatory social media screening, consular offices are not to accept additional visa interview appointments for students and exchange visitors until further guidance,” the dispatch reads.
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce affirmed that the US is using every possible measure to screen visa applicants.
“We will continue to use all of the tools at our disposal to assess who wants to come to the United States, whether they are students or otherwise,” Bruce said. The move, first reported by Politico , is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to tighten restrictions on international student visas.
Last week, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s authorization to accept international students, removing the school from a program that allows it to sponsor visas for foreign students. However, the decision was met with strong backlash in the courts and is currently on hold by a federal judge.
In the spring, the administration also revoked the legal status of thousands of international students studying in the United States, forcing many to leave the country out of fear of deportation. After several students successfully sued, the government restored their legal status, but it also expanded the grounds for terminating the legal status of future international students.
Under President Trump, the US tightened checks on all visa applicants, including social media accounts, a policy that will continue under President Joe Biden.
The suspension of student visa interviews may result in delays that impact summer and fall admission plans for students and exchange program participants.
The decline in international students could also hurt many universities’ budgets. In the past, to compensate for cuts in federal research funding, many schools have turned to recruiting more international students, who typically pay full tuition.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/my-tam-dung-phong-van-cap-visa-cho-du-hoc-sinh-2405585.html
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