The U.S. government has temporarily stopped scheduling new visa interviews for foreign students while it prepares to increase scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity, according to officials.

An anonymous source from within the administration explained that this pause is temporary and does not affect those who already have appointments scheduled. An internal communication from a senior official instructed consulates to hold off on adding any new student or exchange visitor visa appointments until updated guidelines on social media screening are issued.

A spokesperson from the State Department emphasized that the U.S. uses all available measures to carefully evaluate visa applicants, including students, to ensure security.

This step is part of a broader effort by the previous administration to tighten controls on international students, including actions that limited certain universities’ ability to sponsor foreign students and changes that affected the legal status of many international students already in the country. Although some of these moves faced legal challenges, policies on increased social media vetting have continued.

The temporary halt in scheduling visa interviews could cause delays that might impact students planning to start their studies this summer or fall. A decrease in international student enrolment may also affect university finances, as some institutions rely heavily on tuition from these students to offset budget gaps.