The Trump Administration has moved to droop new pupil and alternate customer visa interview appointments, signaling a pointy escalation in its efforts to extra tightly management who’s allowed to review in the US. The transfer, introduced this week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, successfully halts any new visa interviews whereas the federal government ramps up social media screening and background vetting of worldwide candidates.
“Efficient instantly, in preparation for an enlargement of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections shouldn’t add any extra pupil or alternate customer visa appointment capability,” Rubio mentioned in an order issued earlier this week.
Whereas the freeze doesn’t cancel already-scheduled interviews, it locations a maintain on future appointments—casting uncertainty over hundreds of potential worldwide college students hoping to enter U.S. universities within the coming months.
The administration says the transfer is a part of a broader effort to make use of “each accessible useful resource to vet individuals making use of” for entry into the nation. This contains elevated scrutiny of candidates’ social media exercise to detect what officers describe as extremist leanings or anti-American rhetoric.
The visa interview suspension follows a sequence of high-profile actions focusing on international college students. Earlier this yr, a number of worldwide college students have been arrested at high U.S. universities, elevating alarm throughout the educational neighborhood. Simply final week, President Trump tried to dam new worldwide pupil enrollment at Harvard College, a transfer that drew swift backlash and authorized challenges.
On Wednesday, Secretary Rubio doubled down, stating that the U.S. would “aggressively revoke” the visas of Chinese language college students suspected of espionage or connections to the Chinese language Communist Celebration. The assertion has fueled issues amongst critics who see the administration’s strikes as politically motivated and doubtlessly discriminatory.
“Trump is focusing on worldwide college students as a method to punish political dissent and stoke nationalist sentiment,” mentioned one immigration coverage professional. “It’s a harmful precedent for tutorial freedom and U.S. international management.”
The administration, nonetheless, maintains that it has the sovereign proper to find out who can enter and examine within the nation, significantly when nationwide safety is at stake.
Because the 2025 tutorial yr approaches, college admissions workplaces, immigration attorneys, and worldwide college students are scrambling to grasp what this newest growth means—and whether or not the freeze can be lifted earlier than utility deadlines hit. For now, just one factor is for certain: the trail to finding out in America simply acquired much more unsure.