A cable sent by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio late on May 27, 2025 ordered that no “visa appointment capacity” should be added at embassies worldwide until arrangements for “social media screening and vetting” are put into place.
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Days after trying to ban international students at U.S.’s Harvard University, the Trump administration appears to be slowing down all international student visa processing, and tightening requirements for international students on campus.
According to a report by U.S.-based Politico, that was later reported by Bloomberg news agency, a cable sent by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio late on Tuesday (May 27, 2025) ordered that no “visa appointment capacity” should be added at embassies worldwide until arrangements for “social media screening and vetting” are put into place.
The Hindu could not corroborate the reports, and the U.S. Embassy in Delhi did not respond to requests for a comment or whether the Embassy had received the cable as well. However, Mr. Rubio had in early April sent a cable calling for the screening of all social media of student applicants for US visas, especially those critical of the United States and allies like Israel.
According to the U.S. reports, Mr. Rubio ordered that “effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued”, adding that a separate cable would be sent in the next few days. However, it reportedly also stated that pre-scheduled interviews would not be affected.
If confirmed, the reported cable would mean a slowing down of the visa issuance process for all students or exchange visitors to the United States, while embassies carry out the checks required, and could lead to disrupting the study plans of lakhs of Indian students applying each year.
The new checks add to problems Indian students already face in the U.S. after receiving deportation notices and the cancellation of their visa status over minor infractions, after a crackdown on all international students by the Trump administration in the past few months.
On Tuesday (May 27, 2025), the U.S. Embassy in India added new warnings that foreign students could also end up losing their student visas if they “skip classes or leave their programmes without informing campus authorities in the U.S.”, urging all students to “adhere to the terms” of the documents.
“If you drop out, skip classes, or leave your program of study without informing your school, your student visa may be revoked, and you may lose eligibility for future U.S. visas. Always adhere to the terms of your visa and maintain your student status to avoid any issues,” announced the U.S. Embassy in Delhi on Tuesday (May 27, 2025).
The announcement has come in the backdrop of reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had started cancelling visa of international students under SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System).
The U.S. government under the Donald Trump presidency has been tightening immigration rules, which in recent months have placed challenges before Indian students. In March, Ranjini Srinivasan, a research scholar at Columbia University, “self-deported” to Canada after she reportedly participated in pro-Palestine activism that she subsequently denied in her interviews with the media. Since coming to power, the Trump administration has taken a number of decisions to tighten immigration rules.
Earlier this month, the U.S. placed visa restrictions on India-based travel agencies that are accused of facilitating illegal immigration to the United States. India and the US have been in talks over immigration-related issues, and most recently, the issue was discussed during the April visit of Vice President J.D. Vance to India. The Hindu had reported in November 2024, that Indian students form the highest number of international students in the U.S..
Published – May 27, 2025 04:02 pm IST
