S. embassies worldwide. This halt comes as the administration prepares to roll out a comprehensive social media screening program for all international applicants.

In a directive issued on Tuesday, revealed through a state department cable, consular sections across the globe have been instructed to pause the addition of "any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued." This order, first reported by Politico and now confirmed by the Guardian, has the potential to cause severe delays in visa processing. It also poses a financial threat to universities that heavily rely on foreign students for revenue, many of which Trump accuses of having far-left ideologies.

According to the cable, the state department is currently reviewing its operations and processes for screening and vetting student and exchange visitor visa applicants. This upcoming guidance will focus on "expanded social media vetting for all such applicants." The current changes represent an intensification of measures already in place, which have primarily impacted students involved in pro-Palestinian campus activities. Since March, consular officers have been mandated to conduct social media reviews to identify any support for "terrorist activity or a terrorist organization," a scope broad enough to include expressions of support for the Palestinian cause. These officer-led screenings involve taking screenshots of "potentially derogatory" social media posts for permanent records.

The proposed expansion will extend social media scrutiny to all student visa applicants, irrespective of their activism history. Consular officers will now scrutinize online activity over platforms such as Instagram, X, and TikTok for any posts, shares, or comments considered threatening to national security. This expansion aligns with the Trump administration’s intensified focus on combating antisemitism.

Rubio recently informed senators that the state department has revoked "probably in the thousands" of visas, a significant increase from over 300 reported in March. He mentioned that there could be more revocations in the future.

With more than one million foreign students studying in the U.S., contributing an estimated $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy and supporting over 378,000 jobs during the 2023-2024 period according to NAFSA, the visa freeze could exacerbate the challenges already facing higher education institutions, especially declining international enrollment.