US consulate expands social media checks on Hongkongers seeking student visas
The US consulate in Hong Kong has stepped up screening of students' social media accounts when processing their visa applications by checking their activities on other platforms apart from Facebook and Instagram, according to an education consultancy.
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Litz USA Student Service, a Hong Kong-based education consultancy specialising in US education since 1989, said on its Facebook page on Friday the consulate had recently expanded social media scrutiny when processing students' visa applications.
'In the past, Hong Kong students were asked about their Facebook and Instagram [accounts], but now the consulate will also ask about other social media [accounts] that the students have,' the post read.
The development came after US Secretary of State
Marco Rubio was said to have directed American embassies and consulates to halt new appointments in a diplomatic cable in late May as the administration prepared to expand its social media vetting of applicants.
A university in New York recently told some education consultants in Hong Kong the US government's recent changes on the visa policy for international students had caused uncertainty and ambiguity about when interviews would resume.
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'Recently institutions in the US were alerted that the Trump administration is temporarily halting student visa interview bookings globally,' the university said. 'This news came as a shock to all of us and was not something that was previously anticipated.'
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