The Donald Trump administration has temporarily halted new student visa interviews to expand social media vetting. The decision was revealed in an internal cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The state department will roll out new guidelines to formalise the social media vetting process before resuming student visa interviews.
The move aims to increase the scrutiny of social media profiles of foreign students in the backdrop of last year's pro-Palestinian protests. The suspension will affect only student and exchange visitor applications and not those who already have their interviews scheduled.
So what is this social media vetting proposed by the Trump administration? While reviewing the visa application of a student, the US immigration officials will go through the publicly available data on all the social media handles used by them in the past five years. This is to identify potential security risks or verify information submitted in applications to determine whether the individual should be allowed to study in the US.
How applicants can prepare for social media vetting
Students are advised to ensure that their true identity and education details are displayed on their social media profiles, including LinkedIn, Facebook and other platforms. They should also avoid sharing inflammatory posts or comments that are against the US foreign policy. Applicants should also take a look at the personal information and images they display on their public profiles.
The Trump administration also directed foreign students to strictly comply with visa conditions, warning that skipping classes, dropping out or leave program without notifying their university could get their visas revoked.
Around 3.3 lakh Indian students have been enrolled in American universities. Many of these students rely on Optional Practical Training or OPT after their graduation in order to get a work authorisation and an H-1B visa. However, they risk losing their OPT status, if they fail to report their employment within 90 days of starting their OPT.
