The U.S. Embassy and consulates in India have paused scheduling new appointments for student visa applicants as they await “further guidance” from the U.S. State Department, a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly sent a cable to missions worldwide on the issue of social media screening, The Hindu has learnt.
Though embassy portals continue to accept visa applications, the new emphasis on vetting applicants’ posts on X, Instagram, and other social media platforms will likely cause a delay in granting visas. This will affect Indians the most as they constitute the largest group of foreign students in the U.S.
The controversy over the cable came as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Washington. Mr. Misri met Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Kessler on Monday to discuss trade and technology collaborations, but the External Affairs Ministry declined to comment on whether the issue of Indian student visas and deportations was discussed.
“Visa applicants may continue to submit applications. The Department’s scheduling of non-immigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic,” the U.S. Embassy spokesperson said in response to questions from The Hindu, adding that consular officers adjudicate cases “in full compliance with U.S. law, including to ensure applicants do not pose a security or safety risk to the United States”.
The spokesperson did not deny the existence of the cable, saying only that the State Department “does not comment on internal communications” and that all visa applicants had been asked to supply social media account details since 2019.
According to a number of U.S. media outlets, including Politico, Bloomberg, and CBS news, that published the contents of the cable dated May 26 , Mr. Rubio had ordered that “effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity”.
While the reported cable said a separate cable carrying instructions on how to enforce heightened measures for screening social media posts would follow “in the coming days”, it is unclear how long the pause on student visa appointments would continue, raising questions over admissions for Indian and other international students for the new term beginning in September 2025.
Last week, the Trump administration attempted to ban Harvard University from admitting any international students. Though it was blocked by a judge, the order could indicate a general policy of limiting the entry of international students. For the 2023-24 academic year, there were 331,602 Indian students in the U.S., making up 29.4% of the total international student population of 1,110,000.
The enhanced screening of foreign students in the U.S. is the latest worry for students and comes after the U.S. government launched a “catch and revoke” policy to deport students for their writings, presence at protests, or legal misdemeanours. The U.S. Embassy added in an advisory on Monday that a student could lose his or her visa status for skipping classes or leaving a programme without informing campus authorities. The enhanced social media vetting could now mean fewer visas would be issued.
According to U.S. State Department statistics analysed by The Hindu, the number of F-category student visas issued by the Embassy in Delhi and consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata in February, the first month after President Donald Trump took over, dropped nearly 30% compared with the figure in February 2024.
Also read | U.S. Government’s new policy terminates international students’ legal status
In Washington on Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce fielded questions about the Rubio cable, but said it would be “leaked material if it exists”, adding that the U.S. would use “every tool in [its tool chest to vet anyone coming in”.
Mr. Rubio has said in interviews in the past that any student whose presence in the U.S. undermines its “national interest, national security and foreign policy”, then they would be denied a visa or deported, making specific references to criticism of the U.S. government and U.S. ally Israel.
Published – May 28, 2025 11:40 pm IST
