WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Indian students, who make up the largest group of international students in the United States, face mounting uncertainty this summer as the Trump administration pauses visa interviews and intensifies scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity.
On May 22, the administration moved to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students, followed by a May 27 directive from Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructing U.S. embassies and consulates to halt new student visa interviews until further notice. The reason: the rollout of expanded screening of foreign nationals’ social media activity, though the criteria remain vague and the timing unclear.
The decision has triggered confusion and fear among thousands of Indian students set to begin U.S. programs this fall. According to the Institute of International Education, more than 330,000 Indian students enrolled in American schools during the 2023–24 academic year, surpassing China for the first time.
“I have carefully built my profile to get into the top policy programs in the U.S.,” said Kaushik Sharma, 28, a prospective graduate student. “But I don’t want to go there and be in a constant state of fear,” Sharma said. He’s now considering universities in Britain and Singapore as backup options.
Some students are deleting social media posts, unfollowing controversial accounts, or joining encrypted group chats to share updates. Others are turning to so-called “visa temples,” where Hindu devotees pray for successful visa outcomes.
Career counselors report a sharp spike in anxiety. “There are students with admission letters who don’t know if they will get visa appointments,” said Mumbai-based advisor Karan Gupta. “And those already in the U.S. are worried about their visa status,” Gupta added. Statistically, most students’ plans are unlikely to be disrupted, though the uncertainty is fueling panic.
The State Department’s cable, obtained by multiple outlets, provides no clear definition of what content may disqualify an applicant, but notes that “lack of any online presence, or having accounts set to private,” could be considered suspicious. A pilot program to screen Harvard applicants for antisemitic content in social media posts further fueled concerns about political or ideological bias in the process.
This expanded scrutiny builds on policies first introduced by President Trump during his first term and later maintained by President Joe Biden. In April, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would monitor international students’ social media for signs of antisemitism — a move critics argue conflates political speech with hate speech. Edward Ahmed Mitchell of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called it a “witch hunt” into American colleges.
International students already undergo intensive vetting before entering the U.S., and many in higher education say the pause will only deter top talent from coming to American universities.
“International students already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States,” said Fanta Aw, executive director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Aw called the added screening “a poor use of taxpayer dollars.”
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers warned that the visa freeze could have broader economic and cultural consequences. “All this is just going to scare people away from the United States — people that might come here, get an education, stay here, make some really important progress in some area,” Evers said.
In 2023 alone, international students contributed an estimated $541 million to Wisconsin’s economy, according to NAFSA. Nationwide, the economic impact is in the billions.
Beyond student visas, observers worry that the State Department may extend similar scrutiny to business, work, and tourist visas. Meanwhile, plans to cut budgets at embassies and consulates — potentially shuttering up to 30 locations — raise further questions about how the agency will manage increased vetting.
Despite the uncertainty, the U.S. remains a top destination for global talent. American universities have trained leaders like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, IMF’s Gita Gopinath, and Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee. Whether those opportunities remain accessible to future generations now depends on how long the pause lasts — and how it’s implemented.
