US EditionUS resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts
UNITED STATES, JUN 18 – The U.S. State Department mandates public social media profiles for all student visa applicants to detect hostility, with over 1,500 visas revoked across 222 schools, officials said.
- The U.S. State Department has restarted student visa processing, now requiring applicants to grant access to their social media profiles for examination.
- This resumed processing follows a pause last month and an expanded vetting policy targeting F, M, and J visa applicants to detect hostility and security threats.
- Consular officers must flag applicants who support foreign terrorist groups like Hamas, engage in antisemitic activity, or show a history of political activism.
- In April, over 1,700 student visas were revoked but the decision was reversed after lawsuits, while a federal judge temporarily blocked restricting Harvard University from admitting foreign students.
- The expanded social media screening aims to enhance national security but could slow visa processing and raise concerns about free expression and political targeting.
564 Articles
564 Articles
Motivated by the defence of "national security", the U.S. requires students who require visas to have the profiles of open social networks.
Fact vs. Fiction: Did U.S. Embassies Begin Requiring Visa Applicants to Make Social Media Accounts Public?
Claim via Social Media In June 2025, viral posts claimed the U.S. government implemented a new policy requiring nonimmigrant visa applicants to make their social... The post Fact vs. Fiction: Did U.S. Embassies Begin Requiring Visa Applicants to Make Social Media Accounts Public? appeared first on Media Bias/Fact Check.
Vetting student visa social media is common sense
In an age when a person’s digital footprint often precedes his or her physical one, the best way to get to know someone is to check social media. That’s why President Donald Trump’s administration wisely ordered U.S. consular officers to conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of all student and exchange visitor applications, including a review of applicants’ social media profiles. The move comes with the resumption of the visa interview …
State Department Will Now Vet “Hostile” Foreign Students
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