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Last Updated On: June 4, 2025
The Trump administration has temporarily paused all new J-1, M, and F visa interview appointments effective May 27th, 2025. The official cable (formal directive or announcement from the Department of State) signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alerted U.S. embassies and consular sections around the world, stating the department plans to “evaluate operations and processes in preparation for expanded social media vetting of all student and exchange visitor visa applicants.”
Since 2019, the State Department has required visa applicants to submit their social media identifiers on both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications, so it’s still unclear what type of social content will be flagged. Spokespeople for popular social media sites and messaging apps like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram have not yet commented on the policy or plans to comply with additional screening procedures.
“The Trump administration’s directive to pause F, M, and J visa appointments represents a significant and immediate disruption for international students, scholars, and exchange visitors. This move not only delays travel plans but also creates uncertainty for academic institutions and program sponsors preparing for the upcoming term. While the administration has cited security and policy review concerns, the lack of clarity around the timeline for resumption raises serious planning challenges.” – Shilpa Malik, Managing Attorney VisaNation
“The Trump administration’s directive to pause F, M, and J visa appointments represents a significant and immediate disruption for international students, scholars, and exchange visitors. This move not only delays travel plans but also creates uncertainty for academic institutions and program sponsors preparing for the upcoming term. While the administration has cited security and policy review concerns, the lack of clarity around the timeline for resumption raises serious planning challenges.”
– Shilpa Malik, Managing Attorney VisaNation
While the memo stated that appointments already scheduled could proceed under the guidelines, there have been reports of scheduled interviews being cancelled, and we can anticipate significant backlogs in the overall student visa issuance process. Currently, no end date has been specified for the pause. We strongly encourage impacted individuals to remain in close contact with their designated school officials or program sponsors and to monitor updates from U.S. embassies and consulates, as further guidance may be issued with little notice.
Tags: USCIS News
