Nigerian students passionate about international education in the United States of America have another opportunity to apply for the visa to their destination country of choice as the US government orders the resumption of visa issuance to international students.
The US State Department instructed all its posts abroad to restart student visa processing.
However, according to the ICEF Monitor, a dedicated market intelligence resource for the international education industry report, enhanced social media and online screening provisions will now apply for all applicants.
“On Wednesday, June 18, the US State Department sent a cable to all US diplomatic posts abroad instructing them to resume scheduling of interviews for applicants for student visas,” the report stressed.
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The statement brings to an end a pause in visa processing that had stretched into its fourth week, and that dated back to May 27.
The suspension of processing had been an issue of growing concern as the key processing period for student visas for the United States is from May to August.
The report stated that in 2024, for example, seven out of 10 student visas issued by the US were granted in those four months.
Along with a resumption of processing, the State Department cable advises visa officers to screen the social media and online footprint of all student visa applicants for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States.”
Besides, officers are also advised to be alert for any “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to US national security, support for unlawful anti-Semitic harassment or violence,” and to flag “applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism” and to consider “the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States.”
The system, according to the report, will now be challenged to make up the processing backlog that has accumulated for students hoping to begin their studies in the US in the coming academic year.
The cable seems to anticipate this but also acknowledge the additional demands on processing officers from the enhanced screening measures: “Posts should resume regular scheduling of FMJ visa applications once these [new processes for enhanced screening] are implemented. However, posts should consider overall scheduling volume and the resource demands of appropriate vetting; posts might need to schedule fewer FMJ cases than they did previously.”
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In fact, it appears that the screening is meant to extend beyond social media to any type of online presence, including publications and inclusion in online databases.
Applicants are instructed to set all social media account settings to “public” to support the additional screening. Officers are required to retain screenshots of any concerning material to preserve those records. The cable sets out that this enhanced screening will now apply to both new and returning visa applicants.
If the applicant screening turns up any such issues, the applicant is not necessarily ineligible for a US visa. But the processing officer is invited to consider whether the applicant is likely to observe US laws and to “engage only in activities consistent with his non-immigrant visa status.”
“The enhanced social media vetting will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country,” added the State Department cable.
