The US State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has issued a directive to suspend additional student, and exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa interview appointments indefinitely. The move is part of an effort to expand social media screening and vetting processes for visa applicants.
According to a cable signed by Rubio, consular sections are instructed not to increase visa appointment capacity until further guidance is provided via a separate telegram (septel) in the coming days, as reported by the Financial Express.
“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,” the cable, signed by Rubio, states. Septel is State Department shorthand for "separate telegram."
Earlier, the US released a directive that mentioned that it would neither admit nor tolerate the presence of the “world’s terrorist sympathisers”.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce emphasised the administration’s commitment to rigorous vetting, stating, “America will use every tool in our tool chest to vet anyone coming in, who wants to come into this country.”
On April 9, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that individuals supporting “antisemitic terrorism, violent antisemitic ideologies, or antisemitic terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or Ansar Allah (aka the Houthis)” would be barred from entering or remaining in the US. The policy also extends to those involved in harassing Jewish individuals.
Redditors share...
According to the report, the visa pause has left thousands of international students, including many from India, uncertain about their academic futures. On Reddit, students have shared their stories of rapid rejection.
One student, applying for an F1 visa for a Master’s in Information Management at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, spoke about her swift rejection at the Mumbai consulate.
“I was rejected today at counter 34 by an American lady. She only asked me why this uni? And while I was still answering, she had already printed the 214b slip!"
Students have also alleged that F1 visa rejections are occurring at an unprecedented rate. One Reddit user commented, “The USA has turned into a ‘go away we don’t want you’ country!” Another commented that consular officers are intentionally rejecting student visas.
Students should note that existing visa interview appointments will remain unaffected and that they may proceed with their application process as scheduled.
