The U.S. State Department has instructed U.S. embassies and consulates to halt the scheduling of new interviews for student visa applicants. This pause is in preparation for upcoming guidelines concerning enhanced social media screening requirements.

Social media activity can have serious consequences. A visa could be denied, entry refused at the border, or in some cases, legal residents may even face deportation proceedings due to past posts.

They advise applicants to:

• Maximize privacy settings on social media.
• Avoid accepting friend requests from unknown individuals.
• Understand that deleted posts may still exist in archived or screenshot form.

Earlier, there have been reports that some students on OPT placements are receiving letters from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asking them to update employer record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System SEVIS), and failure to do so may result in commencement of proceedings to remove them from the country. Students accepted for the OPT programme are granted 90 days to secure employment in the United States. ICE is flagging that students who remain unemployed beyond that 90-day window may be subject to removal.