Overview

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered consular posts worldwide to stop adding new F-, M-, and J-visa interview slots effective immediately
• The directive prepares the State Department for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting on all incoming student and exchange visitor applications
• Universities warn that halting interviews could worsen visa backlogs and strain campuses dependent on over 1.1 million international students who generated $43.8 billion last academic year
• The Department of Homeland Security sought to revoke Harvard’s authority to enroll foreign students and cancel $100 million in federal contracts before a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban
• Rubio has reported revoking thousands of student visas over alleged national security threats and antisemitic activities as part of the administration’s broader campus crackdown