State begins rolling out expanded student visa vetting — starting with Harvard

[Anonymous]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/30/state-implements-reviews-of-harvard-visa-applicants-social-media-accounts-00375921

The cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, obtained by POLITICO, was sent late Thursday. It says consular officers should “conduct a complete screening of the online presence of any nonimmigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose.” The policy, while primarily affecting students, will also include faculty members, researchers, staff members and guest speakers at Harvard.

The policy will take effect immediately, per the cable.

...

Notably, State Department leadership wants consular officers to consider “whether the lack of any online presence, or having social media accounts restricted to ‘private’ or with limited visibility, may be reflective of evasiveness and call into question the applicant’s credibility.” The cable also instructs consular officers to inform applicants with private social media accounts that they could be viewed as evading vetting and request they make their accounts public while the Fraud Prevention Unit reviews their case.

[Anonymous]

This is the height of stupidity. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. I'm sure they will parade around the two kids who they find who were slightly sketchy and thus justify this - I expect to see them on the front page of the NY Post shortly.

Meanwhile, America becomes more and more of the laughing stock of the world and we become dumber and dumber as a nation.

TACO!

[Anonymous]

Does anyone on here have a kid applying to college who is dumb enough not to have their social media set to private? Do these morons realize that? I think they should keep out of the country anyone so stupid not to do this, not the other way around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone on here have a kid applying to college who is dumb enough not to have their social media set to private? Do these morons realize that? I think they should keep out of the country anyone so stupid not to do this, not the other way around.

Love this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone on here have a kid applying to college who is dumb enough not to have their social media set to private? Do these morons realize that? I think they should keep out of the country anyone so stupid not to do this, not the other way around.

According to the article linked above they will question credibility if social media accounts are private or non-existent.

From the Politico article linked above:
“Notably, State Department leadership wants consular officers to consider “whether the lack of any online presence, or having social media accounts restricted to ‘private’ or with limited visibility, may be reflective of evasiveness and call into question the applicant’s credibility.”

[Anonymous]

My young adult son and teen daughter have no social media accounts. I have a FB I never use. I don't think my husband knows about social media.

Are people going to be punished now for not being social enough to use social media? Do they expect people to create ad hoc accounts just to prove they're innocuous?

It's madness.

[Anonymous]

Why are they so obsessed with going after Harvard? Creating federal policy to target one entity/perceived rival is insane.

[Anonymous]

How many American taxpayers will actually benefit and have their lives improved by this?

[Anonymous]

ALL applicants must be vetted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are they so obsessed with going after Harvard? Creating federal policy to target one entity/perceived rival is insane.

+1

Totally insane

[Anonymous]

It is the height of irony that these people are more closely scrutinizing those who want to go to Harvard than those who are President of the United States, cabinet members, senators, etc.

We have raging sociopathic lunatics such as Trump and Hesgeth with access to the nuclear codes but this is what MAGA nation, most of whom can't even point out Harvard on a map, is so concerned about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is the height of irony that these people are more closely scrutinizing those who want to go to Harvard than those who are President of the United States, cabinet members, senators, etc.

We have raging sociopathic lunatics such as Trump and Hesgeth with access to the nuclear codes but this is what MAGA nation, most of whom can't even point out Harvard on a map, is so concerned about.

+1 Musk is a drug user; Trump and his crew are compromised by Russia. But sure, let's go after the 18 yr old college student who has sympathy for Palestinian children. Priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are they so obsessed with going after Harvard? Creating federal policy to target one entity/perceived rival is insane.

I think Baron was rejected from Harvard & Columbia. Because there are so many other schools that have had protests about the middle eastern conflict, yet these are the two Trump seems obsessed with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are they so obsessed with going after Harvard? Creating federal policy to target one entity/perceived rival is insane.

I think Baron was rejected from Harvard & Columbia. Because there are so many other schools that have had protests about the middle eastern conflict, yet these are the two Trump seems obsessed with.

I would hate to be the admissions officer who had to sign off on rejecting Barron. Though I'm guessing Columbia Grammar likely wasn't where Donald wanted to send Barron either but that was before Donald's ego was even further inflated by becoming president.

[Anonymous]

Some of the international students are not here because they love the US and want to give back. Quite the opposite. How is exposing and limiting this a bad thing?