After canceling visa interviews for individuals seeking to study in the United States, the Department of State recently announced that they will begin scheduling them again with new procedures in place. Specifically, a June 18, 2025 State Department cable outlines a major policy shift in the processing of F, M, and J visa applications—one that could have far-reaching implications for international students, exchange visitors, and U.S. institutions.
Key Points from the Directive:
- Applies to All Applicants: The new policy mandates enhanced social media vetting for all F, M, and J visa applicants, regardless of their nationality or whether they’ve previously been issued a U.S. visa.
- Public Social Media Required: Applicants must make their social media profiles publicly viewable. Failure to do so may result in a visa refusal or denial.
- Temporary Refusals Under INA 221(g): Even if an applicant passes the initial interview, they may be temporarily refused a visa under INA Section 221(g) while consular officers review their social media content. If the review clears them, a visa may then be issued.
- Interviewing Officers Must Conduct Vetting: The officer who conducts the visa interview is also responsible for reviewing the applicant’s social media—it will not be delegated to another staff member.
- Content Screening Criteria: Officers are instructed to look for signs of “hostility” toward the United States or its people, including any expression of support for foreign terrorist organizations or antisemitic harassment or violence.
- Reduced Interview Capacity: U.S. embassies and consulates have been advised to cut back on daily interview appointments to accommodate the increased workload.
A Recipe for Processing Delays
The additional workload placed on consular officers is substantial. Officers who might normally handle 50 student visa interviews per day are now expected to also conduct manual social media reviews for each applicant. There is no mention of technological tools or systems, nor other personnel teams, to assist with this process
In FY2024, the U.S. issued over 400,000 F-1 visas and more than 300,000 J-1 visas. Applying time-intensive manual vetting to such a high volume of applicants raises serious concerns about scalability and efficiency.
Language Barriers and Implementation Challenges
A further complication is the linguistic ability of consular staff. Not all officers are fluent in the wide range of languages used by applicants on social media platforms, making it difficult to accurately interpret content and intent. This opens the door to inconsistent or even flawed assessments.
Compounding the issue is a lack of detailed implementation guidance. Posts may be expected to create and apply their own procedures, increasing the risk of uneven policy execution across different consulates and embassies.
Conclusion
While the stated aim of the policy is to strengthen national security, a formidable effort, the immediate effect will likely be slower processing and mounting backlogs—not just for students and exchange visitors, but possibly across all nonimmigrant visa categories. Student applicants may also face delays that interfere with program start dates, while U.S. institutions could see disruptions in enrollment and exchange timelines.
National security is undeniably critical, but without additional resources or a more scalable, standardized approach, this policy may create a global bottleneck with serious consequences for international engagement and diplomacy.
This is an on-going development, but if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at michael@wildeslaw.com.