State Department counsel on expanded social media screening and vetting of visa applicants, according to a cable signed by Rubio and Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s previous administration stepped up scrutiny of all visa applicants, introducing reviews of their social media accounts. The policy remained during President Joe Biden’s administration.

An extended pause in scheduling student visas could lead to delays that may disrupt college, boarding-school or exchange students’ plans to enroll in summer and fall terms.

A downturn in enrollment of international students could hurt university budgets. College changed to enroll more international students, who often pay full tuition because of federal research funding cuts.

A U.S. official said Tuesday the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already had scheduled their visa interviews. The official was talking about an internal administration document.

A cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press says the State Department plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting.

“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity” until the guidance is issued, the cable says.

Asked about the suspension at a briefing Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. uses every available resource to vet people applying for visas.

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This spring the administration also revoked the legal status of thousands of international students already in the country, leading some to leave the U.S. out of fear of deportation. After many students filed successful legal challenges, the administration said it was restoring the students’ legal status. But the government also expanded the grounds for terminating international students’ legal status going forward.

WASHINGTON — The State Department has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students hoping to study in the U.S. while it prepares to expand the screening of their activity on social media, officials said.

The Secretary of State has stated that the federal government will take actions to reduce the number of international students in the U.S.

Students working in areas where the US and China are technology rivals are likely to be what he meant by “critical fields.” Thousands of graduate-level Chinese students had their visas revoked if their research was in cutting-edge engineering fields that are used for dual-use applications.

China’s foreign ministry this week called on the U.S. to “protect the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those of Chinese students.”

For a long time, China was the top source of international students to the U.S., but relations with the US worsened and a world coronaviruses outbreak temporarily closed borders. The number of students hailing from India was greater than the number of students from China.