The Trump administration has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students -hoping to study in the US - while it prepares to expand the screening of their activity on social media.
A US official said the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already had scheduled their visa interviews.
An internal policy document signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press says the State Department plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting.
“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity” until the guidance is issued, it says.
Asked about the suspension at a briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US uses every available resource to vet people applying for visas.
“We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that's coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” Ms Bruce said.
The move, first reported by Politico, is the latest in the Trump administration's crackdown on international students.
Last week, the White House revoked Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, removing the college from the programme that allows schools to sponsor foreign students for visas. That effort was quickly challenged in court and for now is blocked by a federal judge.
Trump’s clash with the nation's oldest and wealthiest university intensified on Tuesday, as his administration asked federal agencies to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100million (£74million).
President Trump has railed against Harvard, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism.
Trump believes America's most elite colleges are too left-wing, and says some of them have enabled antisemitism on campus and uphold discriminatory admissions policies.
The move to increase social media vetting of students applying to study in the US raises the prospect that some could be barred from entering the country for their political views, or for criticism of Israel over its war on Hamas.
Trump’s attacks on Harvard sparked a protest on Tuesday involving hundreds of students, some of whom waved placards and chanted slogans like “Trump = traitor” and “Who belongs in class today? Let them stay!”
This spring the administration also revoked the legal status of thousands of international students already in the country, leading some to leave the US out of fear of deportation. After many students filed successful legal challenges, the administration said it was restoring the students' legal status. But the government also expanded the grounds for terminating international students' legal status going forward.
Trump's previous administration stepped up scrutiny of all visa applicants, introducing reviews of their social media accounts. The policy remained during President Joe Biden's administration.
An extended pause in scheduling student visas could lead to delays that may disrupt college, boarding-school or exchange students' plans to enrol in summer and fall terms.
A downturn in enrolment of international students could hurt university budgets. To make up for cuts in federal research funding, some colleges shifted to enrolling more international students, who often pay full tuition.
