International students, including Nigerians, applying to study in the United States of America will henceforth be required to make their social media accounts publicly accessible for government review or risk being rejected.
This new requirement comes as the US State Department announced Wednesday it was resuming the processing of student visa applications after a temporary suspension.
In a notice made available to the public on Wednesday, the US State Department said it had rescinded its suspension of student visa processing announced earlier in May. However, new applicants who refuse to unlock their social media accounts for review may be denied visa. Their refusal could be interpreted as an attempt to evade the requirement or a sign of potentially problematic online behaviour, it said.
The new requirement will affect all applicants for F visas, which are mainly issued to students. It will also affect those applying for M visas, intended for vocational students, and J visas, used by exchange visitors.
The Department further said consular officers would be on the lookout for posts and messages that could portend hostility to the United States, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles.
The Trump administration temporarily suspended the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students applying to study in the US in May, throwing many students around the world off balance. Prospective international students waited anxiously for updates as the window to secure travel documents and housing narrowed ahead of the start of the academic year. Many students, including those from China, India, Mexico and the Philippines, shared on social media they monitored visa booking websites and closely watched the State Department’s press briefings as they looked out for any indication of appointment scheduling.
“I’m really relieved,” said Chen, a 27-year-old PhD student from China currently studying in Toronto, who secured a visa interview appointment for next week. “I’ve been refreshing the website a couple of times every day.”
International students in the US have recently faced increased scrutiny. For instance, the Trump administration revoked the visas of thousands of international students, including some from Nigeria, some for involvement in minor traffic infractions, though it abruptly backtracked. The new policy is considered the latest in the government’s efforts to control foreign students’ entry into American schools.
Elite American universities have been under pressure from the Trump administration to change their race-conscious admission policies. Last month, the government revoked Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a way of stopping it from enrolling international students.
