Dear current and incoming international students and scholars,
A Department of State (DoS) press release (Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicant), issued on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, introduced the new DoS guidance where consular officers will conduct “a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.” The statement added that:
“To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public.’
Our overseas posts will resume scheduling F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa applications soon. Applicants should check the relevant embassy or consulate website for appointment availability.”
On the same day, various media outlets also began reporting that they had obtained a copy of a Department of State cable sent to consular offices. See June 18th coverage by: Politico, The Free Press, Reuters, and The Washington Post. According to these reports, the cable instructed U.S. consular officers to vet the social media presence of all F and J visa applicants to identify individuals who may be deemed to have “hostile attitudes” towards the United States. According to the Washington Post, the cable tells consular officers if an applicant's social media accounts are “set to ‘private or otherwise limited, you should treat the case as any other where an applicant fails to provide certain information on request.”
The cable asked the U.S. Embassies and Consulates to implement these vetting procedures within five business days (since Juneteenth is a federal holiday, this likely means by June 26th). According to the reports, the posts will resume visa interview scheduling in a way that accounts for the increased workload, which might mean fewer visa interview appointment slots being available. Similarly, the DoS directive has also asked posts to prioritize scheduling visa interviews for J-1 physicians and student applicants looking to study in a U.S. university where international students constitute less than 15% of the total. We do not know what methods might be used by U.S. posts for such prioritization.
Here are a few things to consider in light of this most recent news:
- Please note that visa scheduling resumption might vary by individual U.S. Embassies and Consulates and happen gradually. As the press release stated, you should check the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate website and/or social media accounts for appointment availability.
- If you have not done so, please complete and submit the DS-160 as soon as possible. Submitting your DS-160 has become crucial, so do not just fill it out; submit it before scheduling your visa interview.
- To help expedite the process outlined in the DoS statement, consider adjusting the privacy settings on all your social media profiles to “public.”
- You should evaluate your risk regarding your social media presence and digital footprint to determine what, if any, action you should take before applying for a visa. If you are seriously concerned about your social media or internet presence, you should speak to an experienced immigration attorney to help you consider your plans. Please refer to the University Privacy Office’s suggestions about protecting your privacy and managing your digital footprint.
- Current students and scholars should refer to our summer travel guidance that we issued on May 14, 2025. You might reconsider your international travel plans if you do not have a valid visa for your expected return date. Although the visa interview scheduling might resume soon, or you might be eligible for a visa interview waiver, if you need to apply for a new visa, please note that you may be delayed in your return to the U.S.
- If you are a current or incoming student and scholar from one of the nineteen countries that were included in the total or partial travel ban based on the June 4th presidential proclamation, and you did not have a valid visa as of June 9th, then unfortunately you will not be able to obtain a visa despite the resumption of visa interview scheduling.
OISS will continue to monitor the situation and send you updated information. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your designated OISS adviser.
Best,
Ozan Say
Director of OISS
