Trump Issues Order To All US Embassies In Kenya & Other Countries Affecting Students Seeking Visas

The United States (US) State Department has told embassies and consulates worldwide to halt new student visa appointments as it ramps up social media checks and background vetting for all student visa applicants, according to a diplomatic cable.

This is the latest step by the Trump administration that could discourage international students from attending U.S. universities, including Kenyan students.

The cable, sent out on Tuesday, May 27 and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, follows a wave of revoked student visas and an attempted block on foreign students attending Harvard—a move that's currently on hold due to a court ruling.

Photo of a US visa. /FILE

“Effective 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 septel, which we anticipate in the coming days,” the cable states as first reported by POLITICO. (“Septel” is State Department shorthand for “separate telegram.”)

The directive risks severely slowing down student visa processing and has serious financial implications for many universities that rely heavily on foreign students to boost their financial coffers.

The administration had previously introduced some social media screening, mainly focused on returning students who might’ve joined protests criticising Israel’s actions in Gaza.

In the directive, antisemitic behaviour on social media and physical harassment of Jewish individuals were to be taken into consideration when evaluating immigration benefit applications.

This policy began immediately impacting applicants for green cards, international students, and individuals tied to schools involved in antisemitic activity, a move that aligned with executive orders issued under President Trump focused on fighting antisemitism and protecting national security.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Wednesday, April 9, that it would strictly enforce immigration laws to block extremists, including those who support antisemitic terrorism or groups like Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

However, the new cable does not clearly define what exactly the expanded social media vetting will target, but it references executive orders tied to counterterrorism and fighting antisemitism.

For months, many inside the State Department have quietly expressed frustration over how vague the existing guidance has been, especially when it comes to evaluating students involved in campus protests. It is still murky whether something as simple as posting a Palestinian flag on X could trigger extra scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the administration has been using various rules to go after universities, particularly elite schools like Harvard, that it views as too left-leaning and accuses of enabling antisemitism. At the same time, it is pushing stricter immigration policies that have affected several international students.

The battle between Harvard and Trump's administration forced intervention from the US courts, which granted a temporary restraining order halting the Trump administration’s effort to revoke Harvard University’s authority to admit international students, following a lawsuit filed by the Ivy League institution.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order in a brief ruling on Friday, May 23, an order which puts on hold a decision made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to strip Harvard of its access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a federal system that oversees international students.