India Responds as the US Tightens Student Visa Screening

Following the US announcement last week of stricter student visa screening measures, India has called for fair and merit-based treatment of its citizens applying for US visas.

On June 18, the US resumed student visa interviews after nearly a four-week pause. However, consular officers are now required to review applicants’ online presence, including social media accounts and database records. The goal is to detect any signs of hostility toward the United States’ people, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.

At a recent press briefing, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, acknowledged that visa and immigration rules are sovereign matters. Still, he emphasized the need for applications to be assessed fairly and on merit. “It is our belief that all visa applications of Indian nationals should be treated on the basis of merit,” Jaiswal said. He also noted that India remains in dialogue with the US on mobility and consular issues to protect Indian citizens’ rights.

US officials have been instructed to look out for signs of support or advocacy for foreign terrorist groups or other threats to US national security. Examples include backing for Hamas, anti-Semitic harassment or violence, and political activism that might continue within the US. Although such findings may not automatically disqualify applicants under US law, any suspicious content will trigger further review to confirm the applicant’s compliance with their visa status.

These new rules could significantly affect the largest groups of international students in the US — India and China — which together make up over half of all foreign students enrolled. According to the Open Doors Report for 2023–24, over 331,000 Indian and more than 277,000 Chinese students studied in US institutions. However, recent data from October 2024 to April 2025 shows a sharp drop in F-1 visa issuances for both countries.

While the US has long increased scrutiny of Chinese students, the US Embassy in India recently reiterated the requirement for visa applicants to provide social media usernames from the past five years on their visa application forms. The Embassy warned that failing to include this information could result in visa denial and future ineligibility.

“Visa applicants must list all social media usernames or handles from every platform they have used in the last five years on the DS-160 form,” the US Embassy in India posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before submitting. Omitting social media details could lead to visa refusal and problems with future applications.”

Additionally, applicants with private social media accounts risk visa refusal under INA Section 221(g) if those accounts are not made accessible for review. The increased vetting workload caused by these stricter rules has raised concerns among immigration experts. They warn of longer processing times and difficulties, especially for those facing language barriers.

US immigration lawyer James Hollis questioned the feasibility of the new measures: “If a consular officer interviews 50 student visa applicants daily, they will have to check the social media of all 50. How can this possibly scale?” He added, “This policy seems designed to slow down visa processing to a crawl.”

As the US continues to tighten visa screening, Indian students and authorities hope for fair treatment and clear communication to avoid unnecessary delays and difficulties in pursuing education abroad.

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