Thursday, June 19, 2025 - Kenyans aspiring to study in the United States can now breathe a sigh of relief after U.S President Donald Trump ordered the resumption of international student visa processing, which had been temporarily suspended.
The suspension, implemented on May 27th, aimed at
giving immigration authorities time to develop new social media vetting
policies for foreign students.
During that period, U.S missions abroad were instructed to
halt the scheduling of new appointments for student (F, M) and exchange visitor
(J) visa applicants.
U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the changes.
“The Department is reviewing operations to expand social
media vetting for all student and exchange visitor visa applicants,” said
Rubio.
As of June 18th, the State Department announced
that applicants must have public social media accounts accessible to consular
officers.
Failure to maintain minimal privacy settings could be viewed
as an attempt to hide online activity.
“Consular officials will conduct comprehensive vetting under
the new guidelines,” the department said. “This will ensure every person is
properly screened before entry.”
The policy affects F visas (academic students), M visas
(vocational students), and J visas (exchange visitors).
Trump’s administration has recently taken a hard stance on
immigration and universities, including threatening to deport students and
freezing billions in funding - impacting institutions such as Harvard
University.
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