The U.S. is halting foreign student visa interviews — here's why

Yahoo

5 days ago

Students and scholars from countries outside the United States have long been woven into the educational and cultural tapestry at Utah's colleges and universities.
Higher education institutions across the Beehive State remain popular destinations for students from across the globe.
In fact, more than 3,500 international students and scholars are associated with the University of Utah, the state's flagship university. And students from over 100 countries are enrolled at Brigham Young University.
Even at a smaller regional public school such as St. George's Utah Tech University, the student body is represented by 36 nations.
Those local student figures are reflective of higher learning institutions across the United States. More than 1 million international students from more than 210 foreign countries studied at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2023-2024 academic year — a 7% increase from the previous academic year, according to the IIE Open Doors report.
So the impact of a new Trump administration policy regarding international student visas will likely be felt across Utah colleges and beyond.
The State Department has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students hoping to study in the U.S. while it prepares to expand the screening of their social media activity, The Associated Press reported.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already had scheduled their visa interviews.
A cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press says the State Department plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting.
'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' until the guidance is issued, the cable says.
Asked about the suspension at a briefing Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. uses every available resource to vet people applying for visas.
'We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that's coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,' Bruce said.
According to a Politico report, which first reported the State Department's visa interview move, the Trump administration had earlier imposed some social media screening requirements — but those were largely aimed at returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel's actions in Gaza.
The cable doesn't directly spell out what the future social media vetting would screen for, but it alludes to executive orders that are aimed at keeping out terrorists and battling antisemitism.
Many State Department officials have complained privately for months that past guidance — for, say, vetting students who may have participated in campus protests — has been vague. It's unclear, for example, whether posting photos of a Palestinian flag on an X account could force a student to undergo additional scrutiny, according to Politico.
Randy McCrillis, the University of Utah's senior international officer, said in a statement Wednesday that the university typically has around 350 new international undergraduate and 500 new international graduate students each fall.
'The current process will impact those that do not already have visa appointments and we are reaching out to see how many of our students will be impacted by this change,' said McCrillis.
'We do have several offices that rely on funding from international students and a drop in their enrollment will potentially impact the International Student & Scholar Services budget significantly.'
Meanwhile, Fanta Aw, the executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, decried the State Department's decision — saying it unfairly cast aspersions on hardworking students.
'The idea that the embassies have the time, the capacity and taxpayer dollars are being spent this way is very problematic,' Aw told Politico.
'International students are not a threat to this country. If anything, they're an incredible asset to this country.'
Simon Marginson, a professor of higher education at the University of Oxford, told NBC News that a downturn in international students would affect American universities' 'talent pipeline' and income, while benefiting U.S. competitors.
'China will become significantly more attractive than before to students and researchers from the Global South,' Marginson said, adding that 'Western Europe will also gain significantly.'
This week's news regarding halts on visa interviews for foreign students comes days after President Donald Trump announced a ban on Harvard University's enrollment of international students — affecting 6,800 students.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed that Harvard fostered a community of 'anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators,' referring to allegations that Harvard allowed Chinese paramilitary troops to train on its campus, as well as previous claims that Harvard allowed and even supported antisemitic discrimination.
On Friday, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the ban. Hours later, federal Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the ban, per wire reports.
Burroughs said Harvard had shown in its lawsuit that, unless the restraining order was granted, 'it will sustain immediate and irreparable injury before there is an opportunity to hear from all parties.'
Trump made clear his belief that many institutes of higher education are corrupt even before he reentered the Oval Office in January. Pro-Palestinian protests, centering on the Israel-Hamas war, have only inflamed his feelings against Ivy League schools like Harvard and Columbia.
The president of Harvard, Alan Garber, somewhat agreed with Trump when he said that Harvard needed 'greater intellectual diversity,' including more conservative voices. Harvard investigated itself and found legitimate instances of harassment against Arab and Israeli students, leading it to promise to combat such instances, per school reports.
But Harvard has pushed back at Trump's attempts to repeal its tax-exempt status, stem federal research funding and now block student enrollment.
Last month, the U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement temporarily revoked the legal status of hundreds of international students — including several studying at Utah colleges and universities.
Many of the affected international students said their records were terminated based on charges that had been dismissed or for minor offenses when legally their status could only be revoked if they were convicted of violent crimes, Reuters reported.
Following a series of lawsuits across the country and wide public outcry, the Trump administration restored the legal statuses of scores of foreign students while it reportedly develops a new policy that will provide a framework for potentially ending them in the future.
The recent experiences of Brigham Young University Ph.D. student Suguru Onda, whose own legal status was stripped and then later restored, drew wide attention.
Outside of a couple of speeding tickets, Onda had only one legal hiccup during his six years of study in the United States. He was reportedly cited for harvesting more fish than his fishing license allowed during a 2019 outing with his Latter-day Saint church group.
The fishing charge was later dismissed and, last month, Onda learned his legal student status had been reinstated.