New U.S. Visa Rules Require Students to Make Social Media Accounts ‘Public’

Student social media vetting is now being imposed as visa appointments resume after they were paused last month. 

The U.S. State Department has expressed the need for embassies and consulates to vet student visa applicants for “hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles”. Applicants—of both Student and Exchange U.S. visas—will be asked to make their social media accounts ‘public’ to have their “entire online presence” vetted. The cable released by the State noted that “limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity.”

According to the new guidance released last week, they “require consular officers to conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting of all FMJ applicants, including online presence, to identify applicants who bear hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; who advocate for, aid, or support designated terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security; or who perpetrate unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.”

Moreover, the vetting will call for “a review of the applicant’s entire online presence – not just social media activity – using any appropriate search engines or other online resources,” including “a check of any databases to which the consular section has access.”

This crackdown on international student visa policies coincides with significant measures by the Trump administration that are likely to discourage international students from choosing to study in the U.S. Harvard University has been a particular target of the administration as of late, and many have been affected. 

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris recently spoke on his concerns over the State Department’s social media vetting expansion. He acknowledged that such policies were “a matter for U.S. authorities”, but have brought about “deep concern, confusion and apprehension” among young Irish people intending to travel to the U.S. 

“Our relationship with the United States is deep and enduring,” Harris said. “Importantly it also sees thousands of people travel in both directions every year. The intergenerational, people-to-people relationship between the U.S. and Ireland begins with the opportunities that both countries afford to young people.

“It is important that we work to protect this.”

Currently, no further details were provided in terms of what constitutes “hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.”

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