In a move that could significantly impact thousands of Indian students planning to study in the United States, the U.S. government has ordered its diplomatic missions worldwide to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visas. The decision comes as the Trump administration prepares to roll out stricter vetting procedures, including expanded scrutiny of applicants’ social media activities. The policy was revealed through an internal State Department cable as reported by Politico on May 27.
According to reports, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed consular sections to withdraw all unclaimed visa interview slots while allowing previously scheduled appointments to continue under current rules.
“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 states, according to Politico. (“Septel” is State Department shorthand for “separate telegram.”)
The report said that it was unclear how the vetting process would be carried out but expressed the possibility that students who have posted a Palestinian flag on social media could face additional security.
India sends the second-largest number of international students to the U.S., after China. As per the Open Doors Report 2023, over 268,000 Indian students were enrolled in U.S. institutions—a 35% increase from the previous year.
The freeze on visa appointments, coupled with upcoming changes in social media vetting, adds to anxieties already heightened by recent U.S. immigration crackdowns. “We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
The announcement comes on the heels of incidents where international students, including those from India, have faced repercussions over political expression. In one high-profile case, a Turkish student at Tufts University was detained for over six weeks in a Louisiana immigration facility after co-authoring an opinion article critical of Israel’s violence in Gaza.
The Trump administration has signaled a tough stance on student visa holders accused of supporting Palestine or criticizing U.S. ally Israel—labeling views of the students as pro-Hamas.
Recently, the U.S. government also decided to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, which will affect nearly 7,000 students from around the world, including many from India.
It must be noted that recently the US government revoked the student visa of Indian-origin student Ranjani Srinivasan, a doctoral candidate at Columbia University citing her participation in pro-Palestine protests. Following the revocation, she self-deported from the U.S.