State Dept. Introduces New Guidelines For Granting Foreign Student Visas
Charlie Kirk Staff
06/19/2025

The State Department announced Wednesday it will resume processing student visa applications, but with stricter screening measures focused on applicants’ social media activity to flag potential support for terrorism or a “history of political activism” tied to violence or anti-American sentiment.
Interviews for new student visa applicants—which were halted last month—will soon resume. As part of the enhanced vetting process, prospective exchange students will be asked to make their social media accounts publicly accessible for review.
“We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security,” the department said. “Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants.”
The Trump administration has raised concerns about foreign students involved in disruptive anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses nationwide, as well as Chinese nationals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the State Department said. “The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”
A cable to American diplomats obtained by POLITICO said that they were instructed to search the social media accounts of students for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States,” “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security” and “support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.”
Specifically, U.S. missions abroad were instructed to look for any ties to Hamas.
U.S. diplomats were also told to determine if “applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism” associated with violence and asked to “consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said repeatedly that it is a privilege to be granted a visa to study in the U.S. and that the Trump administration does not want to import anti-American activists who disrupt colleges and universities.