According to US media, the announcement was signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This move continues to mark a significant escalation in tensions between the administration of US President Donald Trump and Harvard University.
Harvard University is expected to see far-reaching impacts in the coming years, beyond its international student population.
Rubio's announcement calls for a "comprehensive review of online activity" of all visa applicants to the United States and those who have been involved in activities related to Harvard University. The subjects listed include students, faculty, staff, contractors, speakers, tourists ...
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Photo: GI).
This is considered a pilot program for expanding social media screening to all US visa applicants in the near future.
“All visa applicants with any connection to Harvard University, regardless of purpose, are subject to this screening process,” the notice stated.
The notice also directs embassy and consulate staff to ask whether applicants have visited Harvard during the initial screening process. If they say they have, staff should check the applicant’s online activities.
Harvard-affiliated visa applicants will be required to keep their social media accounts public. “Having no online presence or activity, as well as setting accounts to private or restricting access, may be considered evasive behavior and may impact the applicant’s credibility,” the notice reads.
Under the directive, the visa fraud unit will conduct a comprehensive check, including social media activity and other online traces, to detect signs of inconsistency with the type of visa applied for, possible violations of immigration regulations, or any factors that affect the credibility of the applicant.
“If the consular officer does not feel confident that the visa applicant will comply with the stated purpose of his or her visit to the United States, the consular officer should refuse to issue a visa,” the notice emphasized.
The document also states that these measures are intended to ensure that consular officers can detect cases of disruptive behavior, violence, or racist views. In addition, these measures will help properly assess the immigration status of applicants, based on US law.
Harvard University campus (Photo: GI).
In the announcement, Mr. Rubio also reiterated the accusation from the US Department of Homeland Security that Harvard failed to ensure a safe academic environment, allowing a number of violent and racist acts to occur on campus.
Previously, on May 27, the US State Department sent another notice asking US embassies and consulates around the world to temporarily stop scheduling new student visa appointments, in preparation for receiving new guidance on screening social media accounts for all student visa applications.
The policy is applied to a university for the first time.
The US has previously required strict vetting of visa applicants from certain countries, but applying this rule to a specific US university is considered unprecedented.
In addition to tightening visas, the administration of US President Donald Trump is also taking other actions against Harvard University, such as freezing billions of dollars in funding, proposing to end its tax-exempt status, and opening an investigation into allegations that Harvard has discriminatory policies.
It is predicted that in the coming time, Harvard University will witness many far-reaching impacts happening to the school (Photo: GI).
US authorities now claim that Harvard tolerates extremist and racist ideas. In addition, the school has not complied with authorities' requests to cooperate in providing information.
On May 22, the US government revoked Harvard's right to recruit international students, but the move was later blocked by a federal judge.
Warning from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “Don't come to America to cause trouble”
These screening measures are part of the US government’s comprehensive immigration tightening campaign. Previously, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the visas of Chinese students who have connections or are studying in “sensitive” fields in the US would be revoked.
The announcement said the new decision will be a test for expanding the screening of online activities of all visa applicants.
Mr. Marco Rubio has announced in recent months that he has directly revoked the visas of thousands of people, including students, because these people are involved in activities that go against US foreign policy.
“If you come to America to cause trouble, you will get in trouble. We will no longer allow troublemakers to come into America,” Mr. Rubio emphasized in a press conference on April 7.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/my-yeu-cau-cac-dai-su-quan-tang-cuong-ra-soat-visa-lien-quan-harvard-20250531093401458.htm
Comment (0)