Latest news with #foreignstudents
Bloomberg
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Harvard Granted Longer Reprieve From Trump's Foreign Student Ban
By and Anika Arora Seth Save A federal judge issued a new order that will allow Harvard University to continue enrolling foreign students while the school fights to overturn President Donald Trump's proclamation barring their entry.
CNA
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CNA
US social media vetting for visas: What should prospective students do?
SINGAPORE: The United States' move to tighten social media screening for visas has left some foreign students perplexed and contemplating deleting their online accounts. Experts meanwhile have highlighted the challenges in scrubbing digital footprints, as well as the potential chilling effect of the new requirements. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday (Jun 18) ordered the resumption of scheduling appointments for international student visas after nearly a month-long pause. But all applicants will now be required to make their social media accounts public for review. In an internal state department cable dated Jun 18, US consular officers were directed to conduct "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles". New applicants who refuse to unlock their social media accounts and allow them to be reviewed may be rejected. The Trump administration on May 27 first ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new interviews for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as it prepared to expand social media vetting of foreign students. "HOPING THEY DON'T FIND IT" The move has left prospective students and those renewing their visas in a state of panic, with some turning online to try and clarify the new rules. One student wrote on social media platform Reddit that they were "not sure how to go about" the tightened vetting. The Swedish national was in the process of renewing their F-1 visa, which allows foreigners to enter the US as a full-time student at an accredited educational institution. The student said they had always only listed their Facebook account on the online nonimmigrant visa application form, known as DS-160; but also has accounts on Instagram and TikTok where they repost "political stuff". While the posts have since been removed, the student wondered if the best option may be to deactivate those accounts and indicate that they only used Facebook. Commenting on the discussion, another student said they deactivated all unused social media accounts such as those on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. "I'm planning on deactivating my main Instagram account where I do repost political stuff too and it's private (I don't want to make it public), but I don't know if this is good advice," the Redditor wrote. Both students were also unclear if government officials would be able to find accounts that did not have their real names. "We don't know what tools they'll be using, it's all unclear now. I'm hoping they don't find it," one of them wrote. WHAT SHOULD STUDENTS DO? The US was likely looking for posts or comments that were critical of the country's policies and of President Trump in particular, as well as those that support causes the US is against such as the diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI programmes that have come under attack, said Dr Tracy Loh, senior lecturer of communication management at the Singapore Management University (SMU). She recommended avoiding posting or commenting on such issues or deleting such posts, noting that "safe" content would those that were personal in nature such as birthday celebrations and family gatherings. "Immigration officers will most likely randomly scroll through social media accounts to check. I doubt that they would have the time or expertise to recover deleted posts or to investigate the accounts in great detail," said Dr Loh, who teaches at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business. But if the US government does check thoroughly, it would be unlikely for anyone to hide their digital footprint entirely, said associate professor Brian Lee Chin Hin from the School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). There may be screenshots or reposts by others and the US authorities may have already captured the posts that they deem questionable, said the head of the university's communication programme, adding that there are tools to check archived versions of posts. Last-minute mass deletion may also look like an attempt to hide dubious past activities. "One strategy is to focus on deleting the most sensitive content rather than trying to erase all posts, or making an account private all of a sudden," Assoc Prof Lee said. He added that in his opinion, back-up mechanisms by various social media platforms and web archives would make it "unlikely" to wipe off all the posts entirely from the internet. Both experts also cautioned against having undisclosed accounts. "If you hide, lie or have fake accounts and get found out, such actions will most probably be held against you," said SMU's Dr Loh. Those who do not have any form of social media presence may be required to justify why, and creating a new account or profile last minute would look too "staged", said Assoc Prof Lee. Students who come under this group could thus also be "negatively" affected besides those who actively post their views that may be deemed problematic to the US authorities. On the implications of the vetting process, Dr Loh said this creates a "chilling effect" and constitutes censorship. SUSS' Assoc Prof Lee, meanwhile, called the situation "unfortunate".
News24
a day ago
- Politics
- News24
Trump vows ‘comprehensive and thorough vetting' for foreign students in US universities
US President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but will significantly tighten its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile towards the US, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are now required to conduct a "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles," said the cable, which was dated 18 June and sent to US missions on Wednesday. On 27 May, the Trump administration ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants, saying the State Department was set to expand social media vetting of foreign students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said updated guidance would be released once a review was completed. The cable dated 18 June, which was sent by Rubio and sent to all US diplomatic missions, directed officers to look for "applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above, you must consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States". The cable, which was first reported by Free Press, also authorised the consular officers to ask the applicants to make all of their social media accounts public. "Remind the applicant that limited access to... online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity," the cable said. The move follows the administration's enhanced vetting measures last month for visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, in what a separate State Department cable said would serve as a pilot programme for wider expanded screening. Online presence The new vetting process should include a review of the applicant's entire online presence and not just social media activity, the cable said, urging the officers to use any "appropriate search engines or other online resources". During the vetting, the directive asks officers to look for any potentially derogatory information about the applicant. "For example, during an online presence search, you might discover on social media that an applicant endorsed Hamas or its activities," the cable says, adding that may be a reason for ineligibility. Rubio, Trump's top diplomat and national security adviser, has said he has revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities that he said went against US foreign policy priorities. Those activities include support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. A Tufts University student from Turkey was held for over six weeks in an immigration detention centre in Louisiana after co-writing an opinion piece criticising her school's response to Israel's war in Gaza. She was released from custody after a federal judge granted her bail. Trump's critics have said the administration's actions are an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Fewer appointments? While the new directive allows posts to resume scheduling for student and exchange visa applicants, it is warning the officers that there may have to be fewer appointments due to the demands of more extensive vetting. "Posts should consider overall scheduling volume and the resource demands of appropriate vetting; posts might need to schedule fewer FMJ cases than they did previously," the cable said, referring to the relevant visa types. READ | Foreign students want to transfer from Harvard over Trump 'fear, concern, and confusion' The directive has also asked posts to prioritise among expedited visa appointments of foreign-born physicians participating in a medical programme through exchange visas, as well as student applicants looking to study in a US university where international students constitute less than 15% of the total. At Harvard, the oldest and wealthiest US university on which the administration has launched a multifront attack by freezing its billions of dollars of grants and other funding, foreign students last year made up about 27% of the total student population. The cable is asking the overseas posts to implement these vetting procedures within five business days.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Trump administration tightens social media vetting for foreign students
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but will significantly tighten its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile toward the United States, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are now required to conduct a 'comprehensive and thorough vetting' of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who 'bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles,' said the cable, which was dated June 18 and sent to US missions on Wednesday. On May 27, the Trump administration ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants, saying the State Department was set to expand social media vetting of foreign students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said updated guidance would be released once a review was completed. The June 18 dated cable, which was sent by Rubio and sent to all US diplomatic missions, directed officers to look for 'applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above, you must consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States.' The cable, which was first reported by Free Press, also authorized the consular officers to ask the applicants to make all of their social media accounts public. 'Remind the applicant that limited access presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity,' the cable said. The move follows the administration's enhanced vetting measures last month for visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, in what a separate State Department cable said would serve as a pilot program for wider expanded screening. ONLINE PRESENCE The new vetting process should include a review of the applicant's entire online presence and not just social media activity, the cable said, urging the officers to use any 'appropriate search engines or other online resources.' During the vetting, the directive asks officers to look for any potentially derogatory information about the applicant. 'For example, during an online presence search, you might discover on social media that an applicant endorsed Hamas or its activities,' the cable says, adding that may be a reason for ineligibility. Rubio, Trump's top diplomat and national security adviser, has said he has revoked the visas of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, including students, because they got involved in activities that he said went against US foreign policy priorities. Those activities include support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. A Tufts University student from Turkiye was held for over six weeks in an immigration detention center in Louisiana after co-writing an opinion piece criticizing her school's response to Israel's war in Gaza. She was released from custody after a federal judge granted her bail. Trump's critics have said the administration's actions are an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. FEWER APPOINTMENTS? While the new directive allows posts to resume scheduling for student and exchange visa applicants, it is warning the officers that there may have to be fewer appointments due to the demands of more extensive vetting. 'Posts should consider overall scheduling volume and the resource demands of appropriate vetting; posts might need to schedule fewer FMJ cases than they did previously,' the cable said, referring to the relevant visa types. The directive has also asked posts to prioritize among expedited visa appointments of foreign-born physicians participating in a medical program through exchange visas, as well as student applicants looking to study in a US university where international students constitute less than 15 percent of the total. At Harvard, the oldest and wealthiest US university on which the administration has launched a multifront attack by freezing its billions of dollars of grants and other funding, foreign students last year made up about 27 percent of the total student population. The cable is asking the overseas posts to implement these vetting procedures within five business days.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
‘Betrayal': why Hong Kong students remain cautious as US resumes visa processing
The United States has resumed processing student visas after a month-long halt, with applicants now required to make their social media profiles public for review, a move that has left many Hong Kong hopefuls feeling uncertain and betrayed. Advertisement The country's State Department said on Wednesday (US time) that it was once again processing visas for academic, vocational and exchange students. Appointment slots at the US consulate in Hong Kong for such visas quickly became available following the announcement. Washington's back-and-forth stance on foreign students has left Hong Kong hopefuls stuck in limbo. One such hopeful, Mandy*, said the recent shifts in the country's policy were a 'betrayal' of America's long-standing image as a beacon of education and opportunity. Advertisement 'For many, this delay … [meant] putting their dreams on pause or even changing course entirely,' the local secondary school student said.
