Trump administration halts new US visa interviews for foreign students
The Donald Trump administration has instructed United States embassies worldwide to pause scheduling student visa interviews as it prepares to expand social media screening of applicants, Politico reported on Tuesday.
No new interviews should be scheduled “until further guidance is issued, which we anticipate in the coming days”, the news outlet quoted a cable sent by the US State Department to Washington’s missions abroad.
However, interviews that have been scheduled already can go ahead as planned, reported Bloomberg.
It was not immediately clear what the new procedure to vet the social media of applicants will involve.
The Trump administration’s move could hurt universities that depend on international students, who typically pay the full tuition fees, to help cover financial aid for US citizens, according to Bloomberg. Foreign students contributed $43.8 billion to the US economy in the 2023-’24 academic year, according to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers.
More than 1.1 million international students were enrolled in US universities during the year, accounting for 6% of those pursuing higher education in the country. India sent the highest number of students, followed by China, according to Bloomberg.
“We take very seriously the process of vetting who it is that comes into the country, and we are going to continue to do that,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Tuesday.
When asked about the additional social...
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