Over a month after the State Department paused visa interviews for international students, it announced that all student visa applicants will face a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of their online and social media presence.

A May 27 cable message sent by Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed U.S. embassies and consulates to suspend interview scheduling while officials prepared to release further guidance, as first reported by Politico.

Under the new order, issued June 18, applicants will be asked to “adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public’ in order to facilitate vetting,” according to a department spokesperson.

“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years on the DS-160 visa application form,” the spokesperson added. “Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.”

The Free Press, an independent news site, reported that consular officers were instructed to identify individuals who “bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles” and flag applicants who allegedly advocate or support “designated foreign terrorists” and “other threats to U.S. national security.” Officers will have discretion in determining whether an applicant’s online activity constitutes a true threat.

Embassies can now resume scheduling interviews, but were advised to prioritize individuals looking to study at universities “where international students constitute 15 percent or less of the total student population.”

Since 2019, the department has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on certain forms.

“In every case, we will take the time necessary to ensure an applicant does not pose a risk to the safety and security of the United States and that he or she has credibly established his or her eligibility for the visa sought, including that the applicant intends to engage in activities consistent with the terms of admission,” the spokesperson wrote.

In March, Rubio ordered consular officers to refer certain applicants to the “Fraud Prevention Unit” for a “mandatory social media check.” Officers were told to check for any “derogatory information” indicating an applicant is “advocating for, sympathizing with, or persuading others to endorse or espouse terrorist activities.”

On April 9, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the agency will “consider social media content that indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations, or other antisemitic activity” when evaluating immigration benefit requests.

In May, Rubio announced that the Trump administration would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,” who made up about a quarter of all international students during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Late in June, Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident detained in March by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for his pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University, was released on bail. According to the Associated Press, a federal district judge said it was “highly, highly unusual” for the government to detain a legal resident who was not accused of committing violence and unlikely to flee the country.

The Trump administration motioned to appeal the judge’s decision later that evening.

In early April, a University spokesperson told Pipe Dream that five students had their visas revoked. These students and 41 others at SUNY schools have since had their legal statuses restored, a temporary reversal while officials create a new system to review and terminate records for international students.

Over 21,000 international students enrolled at SUNY campuses last fall, with 2,048 attending Binghamton University.

“The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission,” a June 18 department press release read.