The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently resumed scheduling visa interview appointments for international students and exchange visitors after a three-week suspension while it considered new social media vetting measures. Here’s what to know about the new student and exchange visitor visa policies, the suspension of appointments, and the implications for fall enrollment, based on our close read of the June 18 DOS cable and the more than 90 field reports NAFSA has received thus far.
Understanding the Impact of the Visa Suspension and Implications on Fall Enrollment
These data points are drawn from voluntary, anonymous submissions to NAFSA’s online form and are accurate as of today’s publication date.
1. 73 percent of responding institutions anticipate a drop in international enrollment this fall compared to previous years.
2. 40 percent of respondents reported that students indicated they will not study or conduct research in the United States. The top five countries that international students and scholars have indicated they are turning to instead of the United States are: United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, and Germany. Note that recent research produced by Studyportals in conjunction with NAFSA and Oxford Test of English shows that European and Asian study destinations are gaining market share of student interest.
3. The embassies/consulates with the most reports of visa appointment cancellations/unavailability are India, China, and Nigeria. This aligns with the countries that send the most students to the United States.
4. The top impacts reported by responding institutions are deferred admissions/deferral requests, increased student inquiries/concerns, and delays in expected summer or fall arrivals. The top actions responding institutions are taking include: deferral of admission, offering late arrival accommodations, and offering distance learning options.
Examining the DOS Guidance on Expanded Social Media Screening
5. The enhanced screening creates an arbitrary two-tier expedited appointment system for international students. The new policy establishes that, of those students seeking expedited appointments, priority should be given to those attending universities with lower international enrollment (15 percent or less). This change potentially disadvantages those seeking to study at more internationally diverse institutions and marks a significant departure from previous DOS guidance that prioritized students—regardless of receiving institution—based on the start of their academic studies.
Setting aside the problematic two-tiered expedited appointment system, it is not clear which Department of Education data source DOS will use to determine the international enrollment information, how current that information will be, or whether that information will be made public. This requirement will likely slow visa processing.
6. DOS access to social media accounts is now a requirement for visa approval. All F, M, and J visa applicants must now set their social media accounts to "public" during the application process. Consular officers are instructed that limited social media visibility "could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity." Making privacy settings a factor in visa determination is a major shift in how visa applications are viewed. Further, there is also no transparency into what consular officers are looking for when they review an applicant’s social media accounts. An applicant’s ideological or political views, for example, have not historically been considered as part of the visa adjudication process.
7. "Administrative Processing" creates stressful visa limbo for applicants. The new system uses INA 221(g) refusals as a mechanism to conduct enhanced vetting, meaning applicants will see "Refused" status in their official records even when undergoing routine screening. This creates confusion, anxiety, and uncertainty for students, despite being a temporary administrative step in most cases.
8. Vague and subjective "Hostile Attitudes" standard gives broad discretionary power. Consular officers are tasked with identifying "potentially derogatory information" including undefined terms like "hostile attitudes" toward the United States and political activism. The lack of clear definitions, combined with the vague "satisfaction of the consular officer" standard, creates significant discretionary power in visa determinations that will no doubt lead to inconsistencies in implementation.
9. Processing delays are expected despite resumed appointments. While visa appointments resumed after June 26, 2025, the resource-intensive nature of the new screening requirements is expected to create longer wait times and processing delays. DOS explicitly prohibited production quotas, instructing officers to "take the time necessary" for thorough vetting.
10. The new policies affect all student and exchange visitor categories and all existing cases. The policy applies equally to “all FMJ applicants,” including new applicants, returning students and exchange visitors, and even currently pending cases, including those eligible for interview waivers. This broad scope affects the entire pipeline of international student and exchange visitor visa processing, not just new applications.
How to Help
11. Congress needs to act. NAFSA and its allies in the U.S. for Succes Coalition and the Alliance for International Exchange will continue to mobilize its members and grassroots supporters to send the message to the State Department that it must prioritize visa appointments and visa processing for international students and exchange visitors. Add your voice!