Officials said they will continue monitoring developments and providing guidance for international students as the State Department increases social media vetting for visa applicants.

The State Department announced last week that officials resumed applications and interviews for international student visa applicants following a nearly 20-day pause as they implemented expanded social media vetting policies and “enhanced scrutiny” of Chinese and Hong Kong nationals applying for student visas. In a Monday update, GW’s International Services Office website stated that international students should be prepared for increased screening of their social media activity and frequently check appointment availability at their local embassy or consulate for visa applications.

The update also said the ISO will continue to inform the international student community of any additional guidance when it becomes available.

In GW’s Thursday federal update to the community, officials directed students with further questions to the ISO website, adding the University is “committed to supporting” international students at GW.

A University spokesperson declined to comment on whether the University is aware of any instances of international students facing issues with their visa applications and on whether ISO has updated guidelines for international student visa applicants to cover the new policies. The spokesperson deferred comment to ISO’s update.

GW enrolls more than 3,600 international students, making up over 14 percent of the total number of students enrolled at the University, according to enrollment data. The bulk of international students studying at GW are graduate students, with over 2,500 students enrolled in graduate programs.

In the State Department’s press release announcing the extended vetting, a spokesperson for the department said officials will conduct a “comprehensive and thorough” vetting of all F, M and J visa applicants. F, M and J visas are issued to international students coming to study at some educational institution in the United States.

The new vetting process will require all applicants to change the privacy settings on all their social media accounts to “public,” and will call into question the applicant’s “credibility” if they choose not to. These new procedures will allow State Department officials to identify visa applicants who are “inadmissible,” including those deemed as a potential “threat” to U.S. national security, according to the department’s announcement of the new policy.

“The State Department is committed to protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process,” the release states. “A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.”

State Department officials conducting the vetting process will look for perceived hostility towards the United States and its citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles, according to the June 18 cable the State Department sent to U.S. embassies and consulates across the world obtained by The Washington Post. 

Officials will also look for advocacy or support for threats to the U.S., including foreign terrorists and support for “unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence,” the cable states.

The cable instructed U.S. embassies and consulate officials to prioritize visa interviews for physicians interviewing for a J-1 visa, the visa issued to students coming to the U.S. for medical education and other forms of “cultural exchange” and universities with an international student population making up less than 15 percent of the total student body. GW falls into the latter category, with an international student body constituting around 14.5 percent of the total student body, according to enrollment data.

The cable also instructed U.S. embassies and consulate officials to “consider overall scheduling volume” of interviews and take into account the resources necessary to conduct the new, expanded vetting procedure. In the update to the ISO website, GW officials encouraged international students to check the interview appointment availability at their embassy or consulate “frequently.” 

The State Department did not return a request for comment.

The new social media vetting policies are the latest changes in visa rules and guidance that could impact international students in the last month.

Last month, when the State Department paused all international student visa applications and interviews, they simultaneously announced that they will “aggressively revoke” student visas from Chinese and Hong Kong nationals and “enhance scrutiny” for all future applicants holding Chinese or Hong Kong passports. But roughly two weeks after the department announced the revocations, President Donald Trump struck a deal with Chinese officials that includes China supplying magnets and rare earth minerals in exchange for the United States allowing Chinese students to study at U.S. universities.

The June 11 deal is still pending official approval from Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Trump administration also announced a travel ban on 19 countries on earlier this month, restricting or limiting entry to the U.S. for citizens from the affected 19 countries, which could impact more than 50 GW international students. University officials advised students from the banned countries to consider re-entering the United States before the ban took effect on June 9, given it “may impact” their reentry.