US consular posts are once again accepting appointments for F, M and J visas. The State Department has lifted the three-week freeze after introducing enhanced online vetting standards for student visa applications.
New online vetting standards for Student Visa applications
Under the new requirement, student visa applicants will be instructed to switch their social media accounts to ‘public’ view to allow Consular officers to review their posts and content.
In the context of student visa applications, an applicant’s “online presence” encompasses not only their social media profiles and posts, but also data that may appear in commercial or government databases.
Officers will be looking for signs of animosity toward the US, its people, culture, institutions or founding values, and any evidence that the applicant has promoted, helped or sympathized with designated terrorist groups or engaged in antisemitic violence or harassment. They are also looking for indications that the traveler could misappropriate research, siphon technical know-how, disseminate disinformation or that the individual has an established record of political activism likely to continue while in the US.
Should the review uncover problematic material, officers may deny the visa outright or summon the applicant for another interview. Derogatory findings, or an unclear or private profile, could lead to an initial refusal under INA 221(g) while further checks are completed to determine whether the applicant is likely to obey US law and limit their activities to those permitted under student status.
Leaving portions of an account hidden or maintaining a minimal digital footprint could also count against the applicant’s credibility, as the State Department has cautioned that the total absence of an online trail may also raise concerns.
The new enhanced online presence screening covers three groups: anyone filing a first-time F-1, M-1 or J-1 student-visa request; applicants whose F, M or J cases are already in process, even if they were excused from an in-person interview; and candidates who have finished their interview and are otherwise eligible but have not yet received the visa stamp.
Consular posts have been told they may reduce appointment availability to absorb the extra workload. They have also been directed to give priority to J-1 physicians and F-1 students at institutions where foreign enrolment is at or below fifteen percent.
Harvard University injunction update
Meanwhile, litigation has temporarily halted two recent government measures aimed at Harvard University.
On June 20, 2025 the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction barring the Departments of Homeland Security, State and Justice from enforcing the May 22, 2025, letter that purported to revoke Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The new ruling obliges the agencies to treat the university and all of its current and future international students exactly as they would have before the revocation attempt.
On June 23, 2025, the same judge entered a second preliminary injunction that blocks a June 4, 2025, presidential proclamation prohibiting the issuance of F-1, M-1 and J-1 visas to incoming Harvard students and their admission to the US.
These two injunctions restore normal visa eligibility for prospective Harvard students, who are now subject only to the standard rules, which include the new social media vetting requirement, as above.
The Justice Department filed notices of appeal on June 27, 2025, sending both orders to the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, although the injunctions remain effective unless that court issues a stay.
Accordingly, the current position at the time of writing is that students bound for Harvard may continue to apply for visas and travel just like applicants to other US institutions. They should, however, carry copies of the court orders and any supporting university letters when entering the US, and should allow extra time for possible INA 221(g) administrative processing triggered by enhanced online presence screening.
Need assistance?
For international students, the practical picture is frustratingly mixed. The visa gateway is open again, but appointments are scarcer, interviews more probing and adjudications potentially slower through the late-summer rush.
It is advisable to stay in close contact with designated school officials, monitor your case status, and keep digital footprints transparent and uncontroversial. Our US immigration attorneys are also on hand should you require expert advice on your circumstances.
Author
Founder & Principal Attorney Nita Nicole Upadhye is a recognized leader in the field of US business immigration law, (The Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, Who's Who Legal and AILA) and an experienced and trusted advisor to large multinational corporates through to SMEs. She provides strategic immigration advice and specialist application support to corporations and professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, artists, actors and athletes from across the globe to meet their US-bound talent mobility needs.
Nita is an active public speaker, thought leader, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals.
