On Wednesday, May 28, ISSS sent the following message to all international students, faculty, staff, and scholars:
To our international community:
You may have seen news reports that the U.S. Department of State issued a pause on scheduling new visa interviews for F and J visas. International Student and Scholar Services has seen the same reports and would like to provide information and considerations for members of our international community.
If you plan to travel and need to renew your expired F-1 or J-1 entry visa, there is a possibility that you may not be able to return to the United States if you are unable to schedule an appointment for renewal.
According to news reports, the U.S. Department of State has sent a message to embassies and consulates that, “[e]ffective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued … which we anticipate in the coming days.” It is anticipated that visa appointments will resume once the Department of State has finalized the social media guidelines. Please understand that we are unable to independently verify these reports or the message itself.
ISSS cannot advise on the visa application process. However, this would mean that obtaining new entry visas may be significantly delayed, and we cannot speculate when scheduling appointments will resume.
ISSS continues to be committed to your success and will provide updates as we receive them.
Sincerely,
International Student and Scholar Services