By Alexander Ward, Michelle Hackman and Douglas Belkin

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration isn't scheduling any new student-visa interviews while it prepares new measures to vet applicants' social-media accounts, according to a State Department cable dated Tuesday.

The move comes during the busy season for international students looking to come to the U.S., who have generally received acceptances from American universities in the spring and must obtain visas before the new school year begins in the autumn.

The interview cancellations could mean that consulates won't have time to schedule many students before then, and so students would need to delay their start dates or consider alternatives to studying in the U.S.

The cable, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, orders embassies and consulates to stop scheduling new student-visa interviews while officials prepare for the expected "expansion of required social media screening and vetting." More guidance will be provided in a forthcoming State notice, the cable notes, which goes on to acknowledge that the new requirements could be onerous for American missions abroad.

"In light of the potentially significant implications for consular section operations, processes, and resource allocations, consular sections will need to take into consideration the workload and resource requirements of each case prior to scheduling them going forward," the cable reads.

The administration's attacks on foreign students have been increasing. Last week, the administration yanked Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, which will pose financial challenges to the institution. International students make up about a quarter of Harvard's student body and are much likelier than Americans to pay full tuition without financial aid. Colleges have argued their presence helps subsidize students who can't afford to pay full-freight.

"This will have implications for enrollment in the fall for U.S. universities and maybe for years to come," said Fanta Aw, the executive director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, an international education association, in reference to the pause on the visa applications.

Politico earlier reported on the cable.

President Trump has promised more "extreme vetting" of foreigners coming to the U.S., and has in particular focused on international students who have participated in anti-Israel protests on American college campuses. The policy shift could mean that an applicant's public views about the U. S. -- and possibly of Trump -- would more heavily factor into a final decision.

The notice indicates that, when interviews resume, there could be a significant slowdown in the student-visa process. Officials would comb through an applicant's social-media presence for statements about the U.S., the current administration and its policies.

About 1.1 million international students are enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities and pay more than $40 billion annually.

Write to Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com, Michelle Hackman at michelle.hackman@wsj.com and Douglas Belkin at Doug.Belkin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 27, 2025 17:00 ET (21:00 GMT)

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