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Foreign students must now give US officials full access to their social media to get a visa. Critics say it's surveillance disguised as security.
2025-06-20
Washington, D.C. | XTRAfrica News
The U.S. government has officially restarted its student visa program for foreign applicants, but with a controversial twist: mandatory screening of applicants' social media accounts.
The policy, revealed through a diplomatic cable on Wednesday, directs U.S. embassies and consular officers to carefully analyze the online presence of all student visa applicants, including both new and returning students.
Anyone who refuses to make their social media profiles “public” could be denied entry.
What Are They Looking For?
According to the U.S. State Department, consular officers are now instructed to flag content that shows:
Hostility toward the U.S. government, citizens, or culture
Support for terrorism or foreign militant groups (e.g., Hamas)
Antisemitic content or violent rhetoric
History of political activism that may continue in the U.S.
Evidence of violating visa terms (like organizing protests)
Officials are even advised to take screenshots of applicant profiles and store them for record-keeping, expanding their reach beyond social platforms to include databases like LexisNexis.
Refusal Could Mean Rejection
Applicants who refuse to unlock or reveal their social media pages during the screening process are now flagged as potential security risks.
“A refusal may be viewed as an attempt to hide online activity,” said one internal notice.
While none of these social media flags directly disqualify someone under current U.S. immigration law, they do trigger more scrutiny and can delay or block visa approval.
International students from countries like China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines have already taken to social media to express confusion and fear. One Chinese Ph.D. student in Canada told XTRAfrica he was “relieved but nervous” after finally securing a U.S. interview date.
“I’ve been refreshing the embassy site every day. But now, I don’t know if my Twitter will cost me my research spot,” said the student, who asked to be identified only as Chen.
Analysts say this expanded screening effort, spearheaded under the Trump administration, is part of a wider agenda to limit legal immigration, punish pro-Palestinian activism, and monitor students at elite universities like Harvard.
“This is surveillance, not security,” said a U.S. academic freedom group. “It’s designed to make students self-censor or stay away.”
The policy also prioritizes visa interviews for:
Doctors applying for J-1 exchange programs
Students enrolling at U.S. schools where international students make up less than 15% of the total population
What Happens Next?
The U.S. said embassies can resume scheduling student visa interviews, but they must account for the extra workload involved in the new social media review process. The State Department also confirmed this screening will expand to all educational visa categories.
Many students now face a difficult choice: sacrifice their digital privacy , or sacrifice their dream to study in America.
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