Using every tool to vet anyone coming in, says US amid reports of halt in student visa interviews

The US said it is using “every tool in our tool chest” to vet those coming into the country, including students, amid reports that the Trump administration is ordering its embassies and consular sections abroad to halt scheduling new student visa interviews as it considers social media vetting for such individuals.

“The Trump administration is weighing requiring all foreign students applying to study in the United States to undergo social media vetting,” a news report in Politico said.

“In preparation for such required vetting, the administration is ordering US embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such student visa applicants,” the report said.

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, in her briefing on Tuesday, was asked about a possible decision by the Trump administration that will require all foreign students to undergo social media vetting.

“Well, if you’re discussing that, that’s something that has not been discussed publicly. It would have to be leaked material if it exists. What I can remind everyone of, which we’ve discussed for months here, is that we use every tool in our tool chest to vet anyone coming in who wants to come into this country, and in order to do so has to apply for a visa to gain access to our nation,” Bruce said.

“So we – every sovereign country has a right to know who is trying to come in, why they want to come in, who they are, what they’ve been doing, and at least hopefully within that framework, determine what they will be doing while they’re here. So that’s nothing new, and we will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” she said.

The Politico report cited a “cable” dated May 27 signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that said “effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days.”

The cable referred to the State Department’s shorthand for “separate telegram”.

Responding to a question on the issue, Bruce further stated that the administration would not discuss individual visa cases or the nature of the choices made regarding individuals.

“We do know, though, that we take very seriously the process of vetting who it is that comes into the country, and we’re going to continue to do that. We’re going to continue to vet, and we continue to have an interest. And again, whether you’re a student or a tourist who needs a visa, or whoever you are, we’re going to be looking at you,” she said, adding that this should not be “such a controversial thing”.

“Every nation should take seriously – and does – who’s coming in. So if you’re going to be applying for a visa, follow the normal process, the normal steps. Expect to be looked at, and we go on from there,” Bruce said.

In response to a question on such a development leading to processing delays, Bruce said: “I can’t speak to their individual experiences. We’ve always vetted people trying to come in.

“We’ve always looked at visas seriously. It’s why we have a visa, so that you can stop and look at someone. So I can’t speak about what the individual experience will be, but the fact is that everyone knows that we’re – it’s a reminder, certainly, that we’re taking it seriously.”

She said: “It is a goal, as stated by the President and Secretary Rubio, to make sure that people who are here are here and understand what the law is, that they don’t have any criminal intent, they are going to be contributors to the experience here, whether – however short or long their stay is."

“So the details of which I won’t reveal, but it will hopefully achieve our understanding of who deserves to visit this country and who does not.”

Former member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, Ajay Bhutoria, in a statement to PTI, said the US State Department’s decision to pause new student visa appointments to expand social media vetting was alarming, especially for Indian students aiming for Fall 2025 admissions.

“While I support rigorous vetting for security, this pause risks creating significant backlogs, threatening the academic dreams of thousands of Indian students,” he said.

With over 270,000 Indian students contributing USD 43.8 billion to the US economy in 2024, India is a cornerstone of the India-US academic exchange.

“The 38 per cent drop in F-1 visas issued to Indians from January to September 2024, coupled with visa slot shortages since mid-March 2025, already strains this partnership. Further delays could force students to defer admissions, face financial losses, and endure emotional hardship,” Bhutoria said.

He urged the State Department to “prioritise” student visa processing by boosting consular resources, expediting Fall 2025 appointments, and clarifying the vetting process.

“Congress must demand transparency on the pause’s scope and impact. Let’s preserve the US as a global education hub by addressing these challenges swiftly,” he said.

The latest move comes days after the Trump administration ordered the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification, a move that means Harvard can no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.

The Department of Homeland Security accused Harvard’s leadership of creating an “unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students, and otherwise obstruct its once-venerable learning environment”.

The Politico report said the administration had earlier imposed social media screening requirements, “but those were largely aimed at returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza”.

The administration has intensified its crackdown on students who may have participated in pro-Palestine campus protests and revoked visas and ordered deportations of those involved in such demonstrations.

Diaspora