If you are pursuing a visa to study in the United States (US), you might want to think twice about what you post on social media.
In May, the US suspended student visa appointment scheduling as part of plans to tighten restrictions on applicants considered hostile to the country.
EDITOR’S PICKS
On Wednesday, in a guideline sighted by EKO HOT BLOG, the US State Department (or Foreign Ministry) announced that it was resuming the processing of student visa applications.
The department said it was reinstating visa processing for F, M, and J non-immigrant classifications, categories that cover international students and exchange visitors.
But there was a twist: prospective international students are being warned that what they post online could determine whether they’re granted entry.
This means all applicants must make their social media accounts public for vetting.
“To facilitate this vetting, all applicants… will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public’,” the department stated. The new rule is part of a broader push to conduct what officials describe as “comprehensive and thorough vetting”, including scrutiny of applicants’ online presence.
Failure to comply may be seen as an attempt to hide online activity and could negatively affect your visa application. According to US officials, this measure aims to ensure that individuals entering the country are not security threats and that their intended activities align with national interests and visa conditions.
Posts Critical of the US or Israel Could Be Red Flags
The new policy follows a wave of student visa revocations and detentions under the administration of President Donald Trump, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirming that over 300 visas had already been cancelled in March. Many of the affected students are accused of being involved in or sympathetic to pro-Palestinian protests on American campuses.
“If you apply for a student visa… and you say you’re coming not just to study, but to participate in movements that vandalise universities, harass students, take over buildings, and cause chaos, we’re not giving you that visa,” Rubio said during a visit to Guyana.
He said the US gave students visa to earn a degree and “not become a social activist tearing up our campuses”.
“If you lie, get the visa, and then engage in that kind of behaviour once you’re here, we’re going to revoke it,” Rubio, who is considered a strong future presidential contender, added.
In one high-profile case, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University and Fulbright scholar, was arrested by plain-clothes agents in Massachusetts in March. US authorities accuse her of supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist group.
Another high-profile case is that of Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist, who remains in a Louisiana detention facility without charges. He was accused of leading disruptive pro-Palestinian protests on campus last year.
Observers note that even social media posts critical of the US or Israel could now be interpreted as signs of radical or disruptive intent, placing visa applicants at risk. US Homeland Security officials have suggested that such expressions may link individuals to groups or ideologies viewed as hostile to US interests.
FURTHER READING
That means, in this new climate, you should review your online presence thoroughly before applying, as content once considered free expression could now cost you the opportunity to study in the US.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
Watch the video of the week below:
Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:
Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.
Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.
Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611
