The United States will now require foreign students applying for visas to make their social media profiles public for screening, under new guidelines issued by the State Department on Wednesday. This measure aims to identify any anti-American content before granting entry.
The department temporarily paused issuing student visas at the end of May to develop the new social media screening policy and will now resume appointments. A senior State Department official said the enhanced vetting process “will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country.”
US consular officers will conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of all student and exchange visitor applicants. To enable this, visa applicants must set all their social media accounts to public, the official explained.
This policy builds on President Donald Trump’s executive order from his first day in office, which called for increased scrutiny of individuals entering the country to ensure they do not hold “hostile attitudes” toward US citizens, culture, government, or institutions.
Student visas have been a focal point in the Trump administration’s efforts to tighten control over higher education, including rescinding thousands of visas and attempting to bar Harvard University from accepting international students.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also revoked visas of many students who protested against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, invoking a rarely used law that allows removal of individuals deemed contrary to US foreign policy interests.
In April, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would review the social media activity of foreign student applicants for “antisemitic activity,” which could lead to visa denial.
The US government has been vetting social media profiles of immigrants and green card applicants for over a decade, but this marks a significant expansion to foreign students seeking entry.
