People walk in Harvard Yard at Harvard University on April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo: AFP

The US government has ordered US embassies and consular sections worldwide to pause scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants as it is considering requiring all foreign students applying to study in the US to undergo social media vetting, the Politico cited a cable dated Tuesday and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days," the cable said. Politico explained that septel is short for separate telegram.

NBC News reported that the move is the US administration's latest strike on higher education in general and international students in particular.

If the administration carries out the plan, it could severely slow down student visa processing. It also could hurt many universities who rely heavily on foreign students to boost their financial coffers, per Politico.

The state department memo directed US embassies on Tuesday to remove any unfilled appointments from their calendars for students seeking visas, but said those with appointments already scheduled could go ahead, BBC reported.

The cable message did not directly specify what future social media vetting would screen for. The administration had earlier imposed some social media screening requirements, but those were largely aimed at returning students who may have participated in protests against Israel's actions in Gaza, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Many State Department officials have complained privately for months that past guidance — for, say, vetting students who may have participated in campus protests — has been vague. It's unclear, for example, whether posting photos of a Palestinian flag on an X account could force a student to undergo additional scrutiny, according to Politico.

A Chinese student, who has a visa interview appointment in early June, told the Global Times on Wednesday on condition of anonymity that so far she has not been notified any changes, but the frequent changes in US policies, and the atmosphere of not welcoming foreign students, have sparked great concern among the incoming students including herself. 

US policies targeting international students are set to have an economic consequence as in 2023-2024 academic year, 1.1 million international students at US colleges and universities contributed $43.8 billion to the US economy and supported more than 378,000 jobs, according to nonprofit association NAFSA, the Association of International Educators.