US Department of Education Increases Scrutiny of International Student Visas

Action: In the final weeks of May 2025, the State Department delivered two significant directives that intensify scrutiny of international students and the visa process. Following weeks of visa revocations for students with alleged involvement in antisemitic activities on campuses, on May 27, Secretary Marco Rubio directed US Embassies and consular sections to suspend student visa interview scheduling. The move, announced during the peak of visa application season, was framed as necessary to expand social media screening and vetting of applicants. The following day, on May 28, the Secretary announced the department's commitment to "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or studying in critical fields." The statement was quickly condemned by China.

Key Insights

• International students represent 6% of the US higher education student population. At the nation's most selective schools, international students make up about 10% of undergraduates and 40% of graduate students. The impact of the visa interview suspension is far-reaching, as more than 7,000 US institutions, including K-12 schools, are certified under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
• The Administration's push to require social media identifier reporting for individuals within immigration programs revives attempts from President Trump's first term, which was met with a great deal of opposition from civil society organizations.
• In a briefing, a State Department spokesperson tied the Administration's actions on China to concerns over "the [CCP] exploitation of US universities or theft of US research intellectual property or technologies to grow its military power."
• Also during President Trump's first term, visas were revoked for nearly 1,000 students from China following a restrictive visa policy on Chinese graduate students and researchers.
• Notably, these two State Department actions follow a Federal judge’s temporary order blocking the Trump Administration’s immediate revocation of Harvard’s SEVP certification, an order that was later extended.
• Amidst the growing challenges for international students in the US, on May 14, the European Commission announced two new funding opportunities, open to researchers from across the world, as part of a "Choose Europe for Science" initiative, investing €1.25 billion to attract talent in support of its global leadership in research.