By Jennifer Hansler, CNN
The US State Division has instructed US embassies and consulates around the globe to pause new pupil visa appointments because it develops steerage to develop “social media screening and vetting” to all candidates for pupil visas, in keeping with a diplomatic cable seen by CNN.
It’s the newest transfer from the Trump administration that might deter worldwide college students from finding out at universities in the US.
The cable, issued on Tuesday morning and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes because the Trump administration has revoked scores of pupil visas and after it moved to cease international college students from finding out at Harvard College, a transfer that has been halted by a decide in the interim.
The cable states that the State Division “is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants.”
The State Division had already referred to as for social media vetting of some candidates, largely associated to alleged antisemitism. Nevertheless, an growth of the efforts might severely decelerate the general pupil visa issuance course of.
The cable notes that expanded social media screening and vetting of all of the candidates for such visas might have “potentially significant implications for consular section operations, processes and resource allocations.”
Consequently, the consular sections – which subject visas – “will need to take into consideration the workload requirements of each case prior to scheduling them going forward.”
It instructs embassies and consulates, efficient instantly, to not add “any additional student or exchange visa…appointment capacity until further guidance is issued,” and to take away “appointments that are available, but not taken as of the release of this cable.”
Appointments that have been already scheduled can nonetheless happen, the cable notes.
“Consular sections should remain focused on consular priorities including services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas, and fraud prevention,” it states.
CNN has reached out to the State Division for remark.
