Trump wants to check students' social media profiles

Dutch citizens wishing to study in the United States must normally attend an interview at the American consulate in Amsterdam. After that, the consulate decides whether or not the prospective student will be granted a visa.

It looks like not many people will be granted such visas now. Several media outlets are reporting that the US State Department has put the application process on hold. No interviews are being scheduled. The ones that had already been scheduled will go on.

That's because embassies and consulates have been instructed to check students' social media accounts before inviting them for an interview. According to the US government, embassies and consulates must take “all available information” into account when deciding on visa applications.

It is not yet clear what kind of information the government is looking for. The US embassy has only responded in writing to questions on this matter. According to a spokesperson, visa applicants have been required to share their social media accounts with the embassy. She did not wish to comment further on the “internal procedures” surrounding visa applications.

Protests
One can expect embassies and consulates to check whether visa applicants have been involved in protests for Palestine, given that the American government has arrested international students who spoke out against the violence perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.

International students at Harvard University were told to leave the country because of alleged anti-Semitism, but a judge overturned the decision last week. The consequences of a foreign student ban could be significant, as a quarter of Harvard's student population is comprised of international students. Other institutions have an even higher percentage of students from abroad.