The US State Department has instructed US embassies and consulates around the world to pause new student visa appointments as it moves to expand “social media screening and vetting” to all applicants for student visas, according to a diplomatic cable seen by CNN. 

It’s the latest move from the Trump administration that could deter international students from studying at universities in the United States.

The cable, issued on Tuesday morning and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes as the Trump administration has revoked scores of student visas and has attempted to stop foreign students from studying at Harvard University – a move that has been halted by a judge for the time being.

The cable states that the State Department “is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants.”

The State Department has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms since 2019, a spokesperson said. In addition, it had already called for extra social media vetting of some applicants, largely related to alleged antisemitism. It is unclear what the expanded social media vetting would entail.

However, an expansion of the efforts could severely slow down the overall student visa issuance process. In addition, the pause on new appointments, if it lasts, could create a significant backlog. Former consular officers say that appointments for student visas are typically prioritised at this time of year.

Lawyers who have focused on the issue of student visas are concerned about the implications that this review could have on student enrollment in the fall.

“Now is exactly when students would be applying for visas to start school in August. The timing is no accident. This is designed to significantly damage foreign student enrollment in the fall, and hurt the many universities that rely on these students,” said Charles Kuck, a lawyer working with students whose visas were revoked earlier this year, who is a former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

While students can technically apply for visas up to a year in advance, the enrollment process at universities means that they cannot typically start that process until the late spring or early summer. The students have to be admitted, put down a deposit and then wait to receive the necessary forms from their schools before they can apply, the former consular officers said.

According to a report from the Institute of International Education, more than 1.1 million international students studied at US higher education institutions in the 2023-2024 school year. Many US universities rely on tuition from international students.

Politico was the first to report the news.

The cable notes that expanded social media screening and vetting of all the applicants for student visas could have “potentially significant implications for consular section operations, processes and resource allocations.”

As a result, the consular sections, which issue visas, will need to take into consideration the workload requirements of each case prior to scheduling them going forward.”

It instructs embassies and consulates, effective immediately, not to add “any additional student or exchange visa…appointment capacity until further guidance is issued,” and to remove “appointments that are available, but not taken as of the release of this cable.”

Appointments that were already scheduled can still take place, according to the cable notes.

“Consular sections should remain focused on consular priorities, including services for U.S. citizens, immigrant visas, and fraud prevention,” it states.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce would not confirm the cable when asked about the matter at a State Department briefing. However, she noted, “We use every tool in our tool chest to vet anyone coming in, who wants to come into this country.” A senior State Department official confirmed the veracity of the cable.

A separate State Department spokesperson said, “Scheduling of nonimmigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic.”

“An embassy or consulate’s capacity reflects the time required for consular officers to adjudicate the cases before them in full compliance with U.S. law, including to ensure applicants do not pose a security or safety risk to the United States,” they said. (CNN)