On June 18, 2025, the State Department announced that US student visa applicants must now make their social media accounts public for enhanced vetting:
“We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the US, including those who pose a threat to US national security.”
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision. The US must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the US do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”
And if you refuse to unlock your social media accounts for their review? Prepare for your current (and even future) application to get rejected.
If getting your US student visa required a physical queue, you might want to bring camping gear. Source: AFP
Applying for a US student visa in 2025? Prepare to wait
It can take anywhere from three days to a few weeks to get your US student visa processed. If any issues are found in your application, it could increase the processing time up to a few months.
“It’s going to grind processing to a halt and will likely result in increased wait times for all nonimmigrant visas, let alone the student and exchange visitor applicants,” said US immigration lawyer James Hollis.
Hollis adds that there could be added complications as applicants are highly likely to post on social media in their local languages, which increases the time a consulate has to spend on one single profile.
Take this as a lesson to be mindful of what you post on the internet. Source: AFP
The H word
The biggest thing immigration consulates will be looking for is content that they consider as “potentially derogatory any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the US; of advocacy for, aid, or support for designated foreign terrorists and other threats to US national security; or of support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence,” as written in the State Department’s cable.
One example provided is if you’ve endorsed Hamas or its activities (already a cause for rejection) and did not disclose this on your application, that’s a sure reason for your US student visa to be rejected.
