Translated with AI
The United States has resumed accepting applications for student visas. Now all foreign students must provide access to their social media accounts, Tengri Travel reports, citing Deutsche Welle.
The State Department clarified that the applicant's refusal to make his accounts public could be seen as an attempt to hide his online activity.
"Under new guidance, consular officers will conduct comprehensive and thorough background checks on all student and exchange visa applicants. Increased social media screening will ensure that everyone seeking to enter our country is properly monitored," the statement said.
According to the source, internal guidance sent to consular officers instructs them to be on the lookout for any signs of hostility toward U.S. citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.
Earlier, the Donald Trump administration ordered a suspension of new interviews for student visas to the United States.
Let's recall: in late May, the Trump administration banned Harvard University from accepting foreign students. The US Secretary of Homeland Security then ordered the immediate revocation of the certificate allowing the university to do so, accusing the university, among other things, of "encouraging violence and anti-Semitism."
The next day, a U.S. federal judge temporarily barred Harvard from accepting foreign students. The ruling prevents the White House from revoking the school's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification while the court reviews the case. The administration may appeal the ruling.
