The Trump administration has ordered US consulates around the world to stop scheduling new visa appointments for international students, according to a State Department cable on Tuesday 27, obtained by Politico.
“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,” the cable instructs.
Effective immediately, the directive is likely to cause severe delays at consulates around the world, which have been told to expect a separate telegram with further information in the coming days.
Stakeholders, while shocked, have stressed that the order relates to the scheduling of new interviews, urging colleagues to stay the course for the long term.
Studyportals CEO, Edwin van Rest said that the timing of the freeze was “particularly unfortunate” for the visa application cycle, coming at peak time for visa interviews.
“As far as I understand right now, it’s only impacting the scheduling of new interviews that’s halted, so interviews that were already scheduled are still taking place,” said van Rest.
“It’s great to see US institutions stepping up their commitment to welcoming international students and standing by their international students, and it’s the long term that institutions should be focussing on,” he added.
Consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance
State Department cable
The order, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, says the department is reviewing existing student screening processes, which have been ramped up since Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Since the end of March, international students applying for F, M and J visas have been subject to stricter social media vetting relating to two of Donald Trump’s early executive orders focussing on combatting antisemitism and protecting the US from foreign terrorists.
Until now, greater screening has primarily focussed on students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests, though it is thought that today’s directive would apply the social media vetting to all student visa applications.
The previous memo from Rubio included instructions for consulates of how to take screenshots of visa applicant’s social media profiles, if they were deemed to be “advocating for, sympathising with, or persuading others to endorse or espouse terrorist activities”.
Shaun Carver, executive director and CEO of International House at UC Berkeley, said that “while enhanced vetting may aim to screen out genuine bad actors, the blanket pause creates immediate chaos for thousands of legitimate students who’ve done nothing wrong.
“The lack of clarity around what constitutes problematic speech will inevitably push talented international students to choose the UK, Canada, or Australia instead. We’re solving a narrow security concern by creating a much larger competitiveness problem – and that’s exactly what our international competitors are hoping for,” he said.
The new expansion comes as interest in the US declines due to unprecedented attacks on international students and institutions, as Trump ploughs ahead with attempts to strip Harvard University’s ability to enrol international students entirely.
NAFSA CEO and executive director, Fanta Aw, responded to the latest action from the Trump administration by describing it as “another misguided and deeply troubling attack against international students”.
“International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States. It is a poor use of taxpayer dollars to devote resources to screening students who are already subject to extensive background checks, while business visitors and tourists are not tracked at all,” said Aw.
“If the administration believes enhanced scrutiny is necessary, it should be applied uniformly – not selectively to students who have long contributed to American classrooms, communities, and cutting-edge research. Moreover, there is no urgent justification to halt visa appointments while internal policy updates are considered. This only adds unnecessary delays, fuels uncertainty, and damages our reputation as a welcoming destination for global talent.”
NAFSA is urging the administration to reverse course and “uphold a policy environment that reflects the [country’s] national interest.”
Speaking to The PIE at the NAFSA conference 2025, Applyboard CCO Steven Sintra echoed van Rest’s advice for institutions to focus on the long term picture in the face of such volatility.
“When I look forward 10 years, I see student mobility to the US growing in the long run, but it’s not going to be a linear path. There’s going to be ups and downs along the way and we’re going through some of that volatility right now but I still see the prospect of student mobility to the US being incredibly high in the future,” he said.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
