The US State Department has following orders from Secretary of State Marco Rubio — the latest in a series of measures by the Trump administration aimed at tightening immigration screening.
The move, which requires diplomatic missions to pause interview appointments for new student and exchange visa applications, comes amid ongoing tensions with the country’s higher education institutions,
“The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,” said the cable, first reported by Politico.
The State Department’s approach is consistent with broader efforts to tighten screening of individuals entering the US.
Since inauguration in January, the administration has implemented sweeping measures to detain and deport migrants, and to deny entry to some travelers prompting several countries to
The move follows efforts by the government to engaging in university campus activism, particularly protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Attempts by educational institutions to push back against the Trump administration’s measures have been
In March, the US government , with Rubio saying students had engaged in “activities that are counter to our national interest, to our foreign policy.”
International students are major economic drivers
More than 1.1 million international students came to the United States in the 2023-24 academic year, with students from accounting for about 30% of arrivals and those from around 25%.
But it is also the major financial contribution that students make to the US economy that could potentially be impacted by the pause on interviews.
According to NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, international students injected $43.8 billion (€42.8 billion) into the national economy in 2023-24.
In a statement, NAFSA’s executive director and CEO Fanta Aw called the pause “another misguided and deeply troubling attack against international students — adding to a long list that includes arrests, visa revocations, SEVIS [Student and Exchange Visitor Information System] terminations, and threatening their very ability to enroll in certain US institutions.”
Previous visa crackdowns employment or education opportunities in the US may no longer be worth the risk.
Michael Clemens, a migration economist at George Mason University, in the US state of Virginia, said even a short-lived pause on student visa applications could have major knock-on effects across the country.
“The pause is tremendously damaging,” Clemens told DW. “[It] creates a climate of extreme uncertainty for students considering making the enormous investment to come study in the United States.”
“In many states, the … university system is either the largest employer, such as in the state of Alabama, or one of the largest.”
He warned that a decline in international student numbers could undercut the potential for new startup ventures and stifle American innovation.
“Fifteen percent of the high-growth, venture capital-financed startup companies in America — with all of the job creation, investment and technological change they foster — depend on foreign students,” he said.
A pause in student visas could also hit local economies hard. Whether providing summer employment or supporting local jobs and small business, Clemens is concerned the wider effort to reduce international student numbers will cripple small-town America.
“The lasting effects of losing America’s status — for generations now — as the top destination for the world’s talent will be felt in every corner of every rural and urban community in America. They are at the heart of dynamism and economic growth in the United States, and nobody will escape those consequences.”
Pause means uncertainty, loss of confidence in US education
Clemens’ warning about the lasting impact on America’s standing as the top destination for higher education is already being felt.
Rouham Manzoor, who studied in the US, is now the managing director of Maces, an educational consulting firm in that advises prospective students on study options around the world.
“I had a wonderful time there; I consider the US as where I found myself. I have a very strong affinity for US education, I think it’s one of the best in the world,” Manzoor said. “It’s heartbreaking to see this happening.”
“Fewer numbers of students are now coming to us and saying, ‘hey, I want to go to the US.’ That number has gone down significantly, and with this, definitely many, many more students will shy away from applying to the US.”
Others see uncertainty ahead for those deciding where to pursue their careers. Ashish Mailk is one of the millions of international students who benefitted from studying in the US, having previously traveled there on a J-1 visa — typically issued to students visiting the US on exchange programs such as fellowships.
Now a fellow at the University of Edinburgh, Malik told DW the move would leave many international students uncertain about what the US could offer them.
“If you think of those who are planning to come for studies or work, their future is at stake,” he said.
He added that the broader efforts of the Trump administration to cut back on research grants would also leave international students who rely on visas unsure of their longer-term prospects within the US.
“Many of my peers [and] colleagues aren’t sure if their grants will be extended,” Malik said.
For Clemens, as a professor working at a US university, he hopes the Trump administration reconsiders its policies before lasting damage is done to international education.
“The enormous trust of international students and top talent from across the world, in the United States, is in the process of being systematically shattered,” he said. “Until the US government starts trying to repair that trust, it would be hard for me to, in good conscience, advise students to continue to come to the United States. And that’s just indescribably sad for me.”
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