No socials, no visa as US sets new rules for foreign students: summary

What we know

• The U.S. State Department has restarted student visa processing after a temporary suspension in May 2025.
• All new applicants must make their social media accounts public for review by U.S. consular officers, who will review social media activity for any signs of hostility toward the U.S., its people, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.
• Refusing to unlock social media may lead to visa denial, as it could be seen as an attempt to conceal information, as officers are instructed to flag posts showing hostility toward U.S. citizens, government, institutions, culture, or founding principles.
• The policy aims to intensify ideological screening of foreign students before they are granted entry.
• The State Department is also instructing consulates to prioritise applicants to U.S. colleges with less than 15% foreign student enrollment. Nearly 200 U.S. universities exceed the 15% threshold, including all Ivy League schools and major public institutions.
• This is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to tighten scrutiny on international students and pressure elite universities to reduce foreign enrollment.

 What they said

The State Department explained the move as a national security measure, stating, “This will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country.”. Jameel Jaffer of the Knight First Amendment Institute criticised the policy, likening it to cold war-era ideological vetting. “It will inevitably chill legitimate political speech both inside and outside the United States,” he said.