US Student Visa: The US State Department has resumed the visa application process for foreign students, in which applicants will have to make their social media accounts public. This step is for national security.
The US State Department has announced that it will resume the visa application process for foreign students. Along with this, the department has laid down a condition that applicants will have to make their ‘social media accounts’ public for government review. The US State Department said in a statement on Wednesday, ‘Under the new guidelines, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation of all student and exchange visitor applicants falling in the F, M and J non-immigrant categories, including their online presence (social media activities). To facilitate this investigation, all applicants for F, M and J non-immigrant visas will be instructed to set the privacy setting on all their social media profiles to ‘public’.
According to the State Department, it is its commitment to protect the US and its citizens, which is ensured by maintaining the highest standards of national security and public safety through the visa process. The department also said that the US visa is a ‘privilege, not a right.’ The US State Department statement said, ‘We use all available information in our visa screening and investigation to identify visa applicants who are ineligible to enter the United States. These include those who pose a threat to US national security.’
Visa related decision is a matter of national security
The US State Department stressed that every visa decision is a national security decision. The statement added, “The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that individuals applying for entry to the United States do not intend to harm Americans and national interests. All applicants must prove their eligibility for the visa, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the conditions of entry.”
Order was given to stop student visa
Last month, the US indicated that the pause on student visa interviews could end “sooner rather than later”, and encouraged applicants to continue with the visa application process and check back frequently for information on the resumption of regular services. Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered US missions around the world to pause student visa interviews in order to incorporate detailed scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity.
The Trump administration has stepped up scrutiny of foreign students at American colleges and universities in the wake of political unrest on campuses over the Israel-Gaza conflict. The administration has targeted college officials for discouraging Jewish students and foreign students from attending them and for not doing enough to protect them.