Trump administration begins 'additional vetting' of Harvard-bound student visa applicants

State Department instructs consulates and embassies to begin immediately

The State Department on Friday rolled out a pilot programme directing US consulates and embassies to immediately start the "additional vetting" of social media accounts of international Harvard University applicants seeking a visa.

In a cable seen by The National, consular officers are told to conduct “a complete screening of the online presence of any nonimmigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose".

The new policy targets students, professors and employees as well as guest speakers at the elite university located in Massachusetts.

According to the document, applicants who only have a limited social media presence or whose accounts are set to private can be considered "evasive", which is grounds for rejection.

The document details that the new directive could be expanded and include additional universities.

“This pilot will be expanded over time," the cable said.

The new directives come after a separate State Department cable instructed embassies and consulates abroad to pause student visa interviews as it prepares to implement broad social media screening for applicants.

It is the latest effort by President Donald Trump's administration to clamp down on pro-Palestinian protests on university and college campuses amid the Israel-Gaza war. They also accuse academic institutions of promoting liberal ideology.

Following the widespread student protests last year, the Trump administration is moving to strong-arm academic institutions to submit to oversight on admissions and hiring.

Mr Trump has taken aim at foreign students, accusing many of espousing anti-Semitic beliefs and supporting Hamas.

Last week, the Trump administration announced that it would revoke Harvard's ability to enrol international students. The move was blocked, for now, by a judge.

The White House also froze billions of dollars in funding and ended tens of millions of dollars in contracts after Harvard refused to enact changes mandated by the Trump administration.

Using social media in screening visa applications is not new, but in recent months it has been used to target returning students who took part in anti-war activity.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the administration would "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese nationals studying in US colleges and universities, particularly those studying in critical fields and those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party.