State Department to Resume Student Visa Appointments, but There's a Catch

Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed United States diplomatic posts to pause all student visa appointments "until further guidance is issued." This week, the State Department instructed those posts to resume visa appointments, but with new, stricter rules for vetting. It wants officials to take a closer look at each applicant's social media profiles, as well as their entire "online presence." 

Visa applicants with social media profiles must ensure that all privacy settings are set to "public" so consulate officers can view them. A cable sent to various diplomatic posts around the world suggested that "limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity." 

The cable, which The Free Press first viewed and reported on, instructs consular officers to look for applicants "who bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security; or who perpetrate unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence." 

One example cited was that the applicant "endorsed Hamas or its activities." Ultimately, discretion is up to the officers, but it did provide instructions on where to place priority. Here's more from the Free Press: 

Consular officers will have the discretion, however, to determine whether an applicant’s activism amounts to an actual threat, the State Department said in the instructions. For example, if an applicant were to post on Instagram text that encourages the takeover of campus buildings, their application would likely be treated differently than that of an applicant raising money to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The cable also told consular officers that when expediting student visa applications, they should give preference to those seeking to study at schools where foreign students are less than 15 percent of the total student body. Foreign students at Harvard, for instance, make up 27 percent of the student body.

The State Department also issued a press release on the matter on Wednesday, doubling down on the fact that a "U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right." 

Every visa adjudication is a national security decision. The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.

A senior State Department official told the Free Press that our visa system "previously lacked proper vetting and screening mechanisms."  

"It is an expectation from American citizens that their government will make every effort to make our country safer, and that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing every single day," the official said.   

It's not just a national security issue; it's also expensive. The cable sent to the diplomatic posts stated that "Removing foreign nationals from the United States, even when they have clearly violated our laws, is a lengthy, expensive, and difficult process." 

Basically, the State Department is trying to prevent these potential threats to the country and save U.S. taxpayer dollars by preventing a problem before it occurs. It's just common sense. 

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