‘We’re going to be looking at you’: Trump administration halts student visa application interviews

The Trump administration has paused scheduling student visa interviews as it expands its efforts to vet international students’ social media, marking its latest measure in a string of crackdowns on foreign students in the United States.

“We take very seriously the process of vetting who it is that comes into the country,” department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a department news briefing Tuesday. “Whether they be a student or if you’re a tourist who needs a visa or whoever you are, we’re going to be looking at you.”

The administration ordered U.S. embassies and consular sections to cease scheduling new interviews for foreign student visas, according to a memo obtained by Politico dated Tuesday.

“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 reportedly states. “Septel” refers to a shorthand term meaning “separate telegram.”

The suspension is temporary and will not apply to prospective students who already scheduled their interviews.

Bruce did not share specific details about how long the halt will be in place, referring to subject as “leaked material” that has not been discussed publicly. She did emphasize, however, the administration’s uncompromising approach to visas.

“It is a goal, as stated by the president and Secretary Rubio, to make sure that people who are here are here and understand what the law is, that they don’t have any criminal intent, that they are going to be contributors to the experience here,” Bruce said. “It’s one that will hopefully achieve our understanding of who deserves to visit this country and who does not.”

Though the memo does not lay out specific plans on how the vetting process will operate, it referenced executive orders aimed at addressing terrorism and antisemitism, according to Politico.

For universities in the Inland Northwest, this decision poses another uncertainty for their international students.

Now is the peak time for filling out the fall 2025 incoming class, according to Paul Whitney, Washington State University’s interim vice president of Iinternational programs.

“It’s a process that’s more than a little bit intimidating for the students,” he said.

Becoming an international student is a lengthy process far from over after acceptance. At WSU, prospective students must gather material proving they can afford higher education, wait for the school to fill out paperwork, receive and complete an I-20 form certifying their eligibility and then schedule a visa appointment.

How soon they get this interview depends on the embassy or consulate they go through, Whitney said. Sometimes students turned down in their first appointment have to schedule multiple appointments until they are finally accepted.

“It’s a very critical time, because if these things aren’t done pretty soon with our semester schedule, the students, even if they want to come here, they might very well not be able to come this fall,” Whitney said.

Last fall, WSU had 1,290 international students making up roughly 5% of the student population. As for the 122 international students confirmed so far for fall 2025, about 35% have their visas approved. That means the majority still need to schedule visa interviews, signaling a lengthy delay on the incoming class.

This decision could also have an effect on domestic students, Whitney said.

“It’s part of everybody’s education to have a critical mass of international students on your campus,” he said. “(Students) come here not knowing anything about the world other than what they learned in high school world history class.”

At Gonzaga University, about 300 continuing international students are expected to return to campus this fall, according to a statement from Christina Isabelli, the associate provost for global engagement. Of that group, 14 will require visa approvals that could be affected by the pause in scheduling.

“While this change in federal policy certainly affects our international students, we remain cautiously optimistic and will continue working to serve our students as they navigate the process of continuing their education at Gonzaga,” Isabelli wrote.

– With contributions from Politico.