In a major blow to international students, the Trump administration has abruptly ordered all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to stop scheduling new visa appointments for student and exchange visitors.

The directive coincides with the State Department’s upcoming implementation of an expanded and controversial social media screening policy. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed diplomatic missions to pause new interview appointments for F, M, and J visa categories. While interviews already scheduled will proceed as planned, no additional appointments are currently being offered. Consular offices have reportedly been told to remove any available interview slots from public scheduling systems.

This sudden move has caused widespread concern among international student communities and academic institutions, potentially jeopardizing the educational plans of thousands who intended to begin studies in the U.S. this fall.

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The new policy will require visa officers to conduct deeper reviews of applicants’ social media activity. U.S. officials claim this measure will significantly increase processing time and require additional resources. However, critics warn that it will worsen existing backlogs and could lead to politically biased or discriminatory rejections.

Human rights groups and students have raised alarms over the policy, alleging it targets individuals based on their political views—particularly those critical of U.S. foreign policy, such as the war in Gaza. Outrage is especially pronounced at Harvard University, where both students and faculty have launched protests against the visa freeze and broader actions taken by the administration.