Visa interview pause impacts international students in Massachusetts
AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – The State Department has paused scheduling new visa interviews for international students.
How does the budget get passed in Massachusetts?
The Associated Press states that the pause in interviews is temporary while they work to expand the social media vetting process for international students. U.S. officials say it won't affect already-scheduled interviews. They do not specify what they're screening social media for, but recent crackdowns on international students targeted those appearing to be involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
Western Massachusetts is home to dozens of universities that accept international students. The biggest, of course, is UMass Amherst. Earlier this spring, the administration revoked the legal status of thousands of international students already in the country, affecting dozens here in western Massachusetts. They then restored that status after a ruling from a federal judge.
If the administration carries out this plan, it could severely slow down student visa processing and hurt many universities in our area that rely on international students' tuition. At UMass Amherst, for example, the international student population is over 7,500, and they're likely to feel an impact if they do not enroll these students, who often pay full tuition.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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