On May 27, the U.S. Department of State announced a halt in scheduling new F, J, and M visa interview appointments at a critical time for international students and scholars trying to arrive on a U.S. campus in time for fall classes. Although the Department of State announced on June 18 that visa interview appointments are again being offered, this resumption comes with more intense screening of student and exchange visitor applicants' social media accounts at a time when visa processing capacity was already strained. The new policy requires all international students applying for F, M, and J visas to make their social media accounts public so consular officers can screen them for content deemed "hostile" to the United States. we remain concerned that availability will not be sufficient to meet demand, nor timely enough.
In collaboration with the U.S. for Success Coalition, NAFSA launched an advocacy campaign urging Congress to press the State Department to prioritize the issuance of all student and scholar visas during this high-demand period.
Take Action
- Convey to Congress that the three-week suspension jeopardizes the contributions international students and scholars make to every corner of the United States and that visa appointments should be prioritized for them. Please take the additional step of customizing this message with specific examples of how this suspension is having a direct impact on your communities.
- Use the NAFSA Social Media Toolkit to amplify our advocacy message far and wide across your networks.