US resumes student visa interviews, applicants told to make social media profiles public

The United States on Wednesday said that it will restart its student visa appointment process soon but added that all applicants will need to unlock their social media profiles to allow them to be reviewed.

The Donald Trump administration had on May 27 told its embassies worldwide to pause scheduling student visa interviews until “further guidance” was issued.

On Wednesday, the US Department of State said that new norms had been framed under which the government would conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence,” of all student and exchange visitor applicants.

To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for student and exchange visitor visas would be told to adjust their privacy settings on all their social media profiles to “public”, it said.

The Department of State said that every visa adjudication is a national security decision and added that authorities must be vigilant in ensuring that those applying for visas “do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests”.

It said that all applicants must credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, “including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission”.

US consular officers have been told to examine applications to identify those who “bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles”, Reuters reported, quoting...

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