The US government has banned new visa interviews for foreign students. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an order in this regard on Tuesday. The purpose of the order is to stop anti-Semitism and leftist ideas in the country’s universities.
Rubio issued an order to US embassies around the world asking them not to schedule new interviews for student visas, as the Trump administration is going to tighten the scrutiny of social media profiles of students coming to America.
He further said – With immediate effect, the Consular Section should not allow new appointments for Student or Exchange Visitor (F, M and J) visas until further guidelines are issued.
Although previously scheduled interviews may occur, new appointments should not be added to the list.
Officials are checking likes and comments on social media
The ban applies to the F, M and J visa categories, which mostly cover international students and exchange visitors. The claim is that students coming through these programs could pose a threat to US security or promote anti-Semitism.
The Trump administration has also ordered officials to examine posts, likes, comments and shares on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and X to detect content deemed a threat to national security.
According to The Guardian, officers have been examining the social media of students who were involved in pro-Palestinian protests since March. They are taking screenshots of posts that are deemed offensive, even if the content is later removed.
However, the order does not clearly state what will be looked at in future social media investigations. Previously, social media investigations were only applicable to students who were involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Foreign students’ visas will be canceled if they skip classes
The Trump administration has said that if a foreign student leaves a course without informing, does not attend class, or drops out of studies midway, his or her student visa can be cancelled.
The US Embassy in India issued this information in a statement. The embassy asked to always follow your visa conditions to avoid any problems.
On the other hand, the Trump administration is preparing to cancel a contract worth about Rs 850 crore with Harvard University.
The government has already stopped aid of more than Rs 22 thousand crore for this Ivy League school.
The income of many universities may be affected
This disruption could delay visa processing and affect universities that depend on income from international students. As of last year, more than 1.1 million international students were studying in the US, contributing about $43.8 billion (Rs 3.66 lakh crore) to the US economy.
“Thousands of student visas have already been revoked. I don’t know the exact number, but we probably have more work to do,” Rubio told the US Congress last week.
Earlier in March, Rubio had said: “If you apply for a student visa in the US and say you want to participate in movements like vandalising universities, harassing students, occupying buildings or creating a ruckus, we will not give you a visa.”
Admission of foreign students was also banned in Harvard
President Donald Trump has accused some universities of promoting leftist and anti-Semitic ideas. Last week, his government banned the admission of foreign students to Harvard University on this basis.
Regarding this, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote a letter to Harvard. In this, she wrote- ‘The Trump administration holds Harvard responsible for promoting violence, anti-Semitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.’
Along with this, all the foreign students studying in the university were asked to get transferred to other institutions. Otherwise, they might have to leave the country. However, later the Massachusetts court put a temporary stay on this decision of the Trump government.
