After the Trump administration decided to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol international students last week (May 22) – a move since temporarily blocked by a judge – the President has now instructed US embassies to halt all visa interview scheduling for overseas students. This step comes as part of a broader plan to introduce extensive social media vetting for all international visa applicants.

Currently, over one million international students are enrolled in US institutions, contributing an estimated $43.8 billion to the American economy and supporting more than 378,000 jobs during the 2023/24 academic year, according to NAFSA. However, the visa freeze threatens to intensify the challenges facing US higher education, which is already contending with falling international enrolment rates.

This pause in visa processing signals a deepening of existing screening protocols primarily focused on students involved in pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses. Since March, consular officers have been required to conduct mandatory reviews of applicants’ social media accounts, searching for signs of support for “terrorist activity or a terrorist organisation” – a standard that, according to a cable obtained by the Guardian, could be interpreted to include support for the Palestinian cause. Officers were instructed to take and store screenshots of any “potentially derogatory” material, even if the content was later removed.

Under the expanded policy, all student visa applicants – not only those flagged for activism – would be subjected to this scrutiny. Posts, shares, and interactions across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X would be analysed for anything perceived as a national security threat. Officials have justified this expansion as part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to address antisemitism.

Speaking to senators last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that “probably in the thousands at this point” of visas had already been revoked, a sharp increase from the 300-plus figure reported in March. “I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,” he said.