Donald Trump Administration Tightens Visa Rules for Foreign Students: The Trump administration has taken another step toward tightening U.S. immigration policies, this time targeting foreign students and exchange visitors. A new directive from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, issued via diplomatic cable on Tuesday, has ordered all U.S. consular offices to immediately pause the expansion of visa appointment slots for F (academic), M (vocational), and J (exchange) visas. The move is intended to prepare for broader implementation of social media screening and background vetting.
The order has triggered fresh anxiety among international students and applicants hoping to study in the U.S. “Effective immediately… consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued,” wrote Rubio. He also mentioned that more detailed instructions will follow soon. While visa interviews already scheduled will proceed as planned, new applicants could face indefinite delays.
This latest measure adds fuel to growing concerns about the U.S. government’s increasingly hardline stance toward international students, often framed around national security and fears of campus unrest. Rubio, a vocal supporter of stricter immigration control, recently cited examples of student activism as justification for heightened scrutiny.
One such example is the case of Rümeysa Öztürk, a doctoral student at Tufts University who was arrested and later released on bail after writing a pro-Gaza op-ed. Rubio remarked, “If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason… is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities… we’re not going to give you a visa.”
His comments underscore the administration’s concern about politically active students, particularly those from overseas. Critics argue that such actions may infringe on academic freedom and the right to free expression.
The visa appointment freeze also follows a controversial move involving Harvard University, where the Department of Homeland Security attempted to prevent the school from enrolling international students. That effort was later blocked by a federal judge. However, the administration has since threatened to withdraw federal contracts worth nearly $100 million from the university, and President Trump has signaled intentions to redirect billions in academic grants.
Despite the crackdown, not everyone within the academic and business communities agrees with the administration’s hardline approach. Kevin O’Leary, a lecturer at Harvard Business School and well-known entrepreneur, voiced support for a more nuanced solution during an appearance on Fox Business.
“These students are extraordinary individuals and they don’t hate America,” O’Leary said. “Why don’t we vet them first, check their backgrounds, clear them, and tell them, ‘You graduate Harvard, you’re an engineer or whatever, you stay here and you start a business here… you’ll create jobs here because that’s why you came here in the first place.’”
For now, though, foreign students find themselves caught in limbo—unsure whether their dreams of studying in the U.S. will be derailed by the new policies. Universities and immigration advocates are closely watching for the next set of instructions from the State Department, hoping that any new rules will strike a balance between national security and educational opportunity.