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Planning to go to the United States for higher education?
You’ll need to examine your social media posts carefully.
This is because the Donald Trump administration has now decided that foreign students will now need to undergo social media vetting.
This comes in the backdrop of the Trump administration targeting the most elite US institutions including Harvard and Columbia.
US embassies in India have already temporarily halted new visa appointments for students – saying they require further guidance from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“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,” Rubio wrote.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t get ahead of them.
But how you can save your social media posts from the Trump administration?
Let’s take a closer look
What do you need to do?
First, conduct a thorough check of your social media profiles.
This includes on popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Find posts – and posts that you have liked by others – that appear hostile to the US or President Donald Trump.
Either make this content private or delete it in entirely.
According to Financial Express, special care should be taken to avoid posting or liking any posts that could appear anti-Semitic in nature.
Any pro-Palestinian statement would also arose the ire and suspicion of authorities during the visa application process.
Sharing anything that could give offence or which strays from the facts should also be avoided.
Also, make sure any information you’ve given on your student application matches with what you have shared online.
‘Idea is problematic’
Some have slammed the US’ move.
“The idea that the embassies have the time, the capacity and taxpayer dollars are being spent this way is very problematic,” NAFSA: Association of International Educators CEO Fanta Aw told Politico. “International students are not a threat to this country. If anything, they’re an incredible asset to this country.”
Kevin O’Leary, a lecturer at Harvard Business School, told Fox News, “These students are extraordinary individuals and they don’t hate America. 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 and you’ll get funded here and you’ll create jobs here because that’s why you came here in the first place.”
A US official said earlier this week the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already had scheduled their visa interviews. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal administration document.
Asked about the suspension at a briefing 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,” Bruce said.
The move is the latest in the Trump administration’s crackdown on international students.
Last week, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, removing the college from the program 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.
An extended pause in scheduling student visas could lead to delays that may disrupt college, boarding-school or exchange students’ plans to enroll in summer and fall terms.
A downturn in enrollment 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.
With inputs from agencies
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