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United States: The Trump administration has instructed its embassies in other countries not to schedule appointments for visa interviews of students and exchange visitors, as shown in an internal memo seen on Tuesday.
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The memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed that the pause was put in place due to plans to screen a larger number of student applications on social media.
According to news agencies, Rubio has signed a cable directing US embassies abroad to stop scheduling new visa interviews for foreign students.
🚨 STUDENT VISAS PAUSED: Fox News’ @JacquiHeinrich reports: “A state department official confirms that Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered this pause in a cable telling US embassies to halt any new student visa appointments as the State Department determines how to best vet… pic.twitter.com/QgGzVMk8Zq
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“The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,” as the cable stated.
“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity.”
The majority of students attending university in the United States are on F-1 student visas. People attending exchange or scholarship programs as students, such as the Fulbright fellowship, teaching professors, and interns, are eligible for J-1 visas. An M-1 visa is issued to students who are training in the US.
