U.S. tightens international students' visa screenings, bolsters social media vetting
Published: 30 May. 2025, 14:27
![People line up in front of the the Embassy of the United States in Seoul in Jongno District, central Seoul, to receive visa interviews on May 28. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/30/dd5f9d28-a60d-4328-bf33-ab3af995d058.jpg)
People line up in front of the the Embassy of the United States in Seoul in Jongno District, central Seoul, to receive visa interviews on May 28. [NEWS1]
The U.S. State Department has begun tightening visa screening procedures for international students, including enhanced scrutiny of applicants' social media activity. The department also advises applicants to regularly check online for available interview slots.
“It’s a two-step process. You apply and then you have to get an appointment to meet with people to talk with them,” the department’s spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, said during a press briefing on Thursday, adding that she “encourages people to regularly check to see when those spaces open.”
According to a report by Politico on Tuesday, the State Department has temporarily paused interviews for F (student and language training), M (vocational training) and J (exchange visitor) visa categories. The move is part of an expanded vetting process involving social media and identity verification. The suspension will remain in effect until new guidelines are issued.
Bruce declined to give a specific date for when the new guidelines would be released but said the pause would be brief. “I would not be recommending that if this was going to be weeks or months,” she said. “And this is, as a result, not an interminable kind of end — there is an endpoint, and it should be rather quick, as consulates and embassies make adjustments when it comes to how they handle visas.”
She also emphasized the importance of monitoring the system: “If you’re not getting an appointment, just — there’s an online system. You continually recheck to see when those spots might open.”
Bruce was also asked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks made Wednesday, in which he said the United States would aggressively cancel visas for Chinese students in sensitive fields, citing national security concerns. She declined to provide specifics, citing reasons such as “negotiations,” “diplomacy” and that it would “make certain things less effective.”
“What the story is here is that the issue of being serious about safety for the country matters, and we’re going to look at that at every single front,” she said.
She added that the term “critical fields” could encompass a wide range of disciplines and would be defined by those making the final decisions.
“The United States, I further can say here, will not tolerate the [Chinese Communist Party’s] exploitation of U.S. universities or theft of U.S. research, intellectual property or technologies to grow its military power, conduct intelligence collection or repress voices of opposition,” she said.
![The Embassy of the United States in Seoul's guidelines to applying for a U.S. visa [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/30/4409f4c4-d6b4-4216-a899-9d55ac303db9.jpg)
The Embassy of the United States in Seoul's guidelines to applying for a U.S. visa [SCREEN CAPTURE]
In response, Chinese state media accused the United States of using education as a political weapon.
“Over the past month, the U.S. administration has revoked the visas of hundreds of international students, sparking widespread anxiety on campuses — even top-tier institutions like Harvard University have been dragged into legal battles with the government over the issue of international student enrollment,” the state-run Global Times said in an editorial Thursday.
“It reveals how education is being weaponized and used as a tool of political bullying against Chinese students.”
Chinese nationals make up roughly one in four international students in the United States.
“Some American politicians have even equated Chinese students with 'Chinese spies,' a baseless and sweeping suspicion that evokes the ghost of McCarthyism in the 1950s — right here in the 21st century,” the editorial reads.
“American universities are currently facing a loss of tuition revenue, stagnation of research projects and a lack of cultural diversity on campus. In the long run, the international reputation of American universities will also decline.”
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SUH YOU-JIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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