The administration of President Donald Trump has ordered its missions abroad not to schedule new interviews for student visa applicants and exchange visitors.
Meanwhile, the State Department is preparing to expand the screening of foreign students through social networks, according to an internal document consulted by Reuters.
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The U.S. Embassy in Romania also announces that it will implement a new visa interview scheduling system on May 30, 2025, and as a result, the scheduling service (call center) will not be available until then.
Therefore, visa applicants will not be able to schedule/reschedule interviews between Tuesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 29, 2025. Visa applicants who already have scheduled interviews must attend them on the specified day and time.
Visa applicants with interviews scheduled between May 27, 2025, and Thursday, May 29, 2025, may experience delays in passport delivery, as specified by the U.S. Embassy in Romania.
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U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated in a diplomatic cable seen by Reuters that the State Department will issue updated directives regarding social media screening of visa applicants for students and visitors (in cultural or professional exchanges) after completing an analysis. Rubio recommended consular sections to stop scheduling such visa interviews.
This measure comes as the Trump administration has sought to intensify deportations and revoke visas for students, as part of its broader efforts to fulfill its tough immigration agenda.
In the diplomatic cable, Rubio stated that interviews that have already been scheduled can continue in accordance with current directives.
"The Department is reviewing existing operations and processes for examining and verifying student and visitor visa applicants in an exchange program (F, M, J) and, based on this review, intends to issue guidelines on extended social media screening for all these applicants," the diplomatic cable reads.
Department of State spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, declined to comment on information about this diplomatic document, but stated that the U.S. will use "all tools" to screen anyone wanting to enter the United States.
"We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to assess who is coming here, whether they are students or not," Bruce told reporters at the regular press briefing.