Topline
Student visa appointments suspended last month by the State Department will soon resume, according to multiple outlets, but applicants will now have their social media profiles vetted by the federal government as a part of visa processing.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Key Facts
Student and exchange visa applicants will have their “entire online presence” scrubbed, CNN reported, citing a cable from the State Department that noted “limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity.”
Consular officers, foreign service officers who work at U.S. embassies or consulates, will monitor for potentially hostile posts or messages concerning the U.S. and its government, according to the Associated Press.
Students will be required to make their social media accounts publicly accessible and those who do not make the change for the visa vetting process may be denied.
The change comes just weeks after the State Department temporarily paused visa appointments as it considered implementing the social media vetting process, Politico reported.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
