US Suspends New Student Visa Interviews Amid Social Media Vetting Plans
The United States government has temporarily suspended the scheduling of new interviews for student visa applicants worldwide as it considers stricter vetting procedures, particularly involving applicants’ social media profiles.
The directive, issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was communicated through a cable to American embassies and consulates globally. This new development affects embassies in Nigeria and other countries, halting the scheduling of interview appointments for visas such as the F-1 student visa.
While this pause is temporary, it means that new applicants will be unable to book interviews—an essential part of the student visa process—until further notice. However, interviews already scheduled will go on as planned.
“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,” the directive stated.
Rubio added that detailed guidance regarding the social media vetting procedures is expected in the coming days.
Thousands of Nigerian students pursue undergraduate and postgraduate education in the US annually, with many others seeking to join them. This new directive is part of a broader effort by the US government to scrutinize the presence of foreign students, amid claims they contribute to a campus climate that encourages antisemitism.
Recently, the US government intensified pressure on universities to change their race-conscious admissions policies. It also withdrew Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification after the school reportedly refused to comply with requests for behavioural data on visa-holding students.
As a result, the government froze \$2.3 billion in federal funding to Harvard and has since revoked hundreds of international students’ visas.
In one notable case, a Nigerian graduate of Youngstown State University in Ohio, Cynderila Patrick, sued the US government after her visa was revoked. Several other international students have also filed lawsuits in response to similar actions.
A federal judge recently issued a ruling barring the government from terminating the legal status of international students while legal challenges to earlier terminations are still pending.
Meanwhile, Rubio acknowledged that the State Department had likely revoked thousands of student visas and signaled the possibility of more revocations.
“We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities. A visa is a privilege, not a right,” he told Congress.
