DOS Instructs Consular Posts to Expand Social Media Vetting for Student Visa Applicants Traveling to Harvard
Politico has reported the release of a new Department of State (DOS) cable titled “Action Request: Expanding Screening and Social Media Vetting for Visa Applicants Traveling to Harvard University.” Screenshots of the cable have circulated on the internet; however, DOS has not confirmed its existence.
The cable directs consular officers to maintain “extra vigilance and to comprehensively review and screen every visa applicant for potential security and non-security related ineligibilities including to assess whether the applicant poses a threat to U.S. national security.” The cable singles out Harvard, stating that the purpose of the new vetting instructions is “to address the acute concerns of violence and anti-Semitism at Harvard University.” The cable states that it applies not only to students but any nonimmigrant visa applicant intending to travel to Harvard for any reason, including “prospective students, students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speaker, and tourists.” It also states “implementation of this ALDAC [cable] will also serve as a pilot of expanded screening and vetting of visa applicants. This pilot will be expanded over time.” (emphasis added).
Notably, the cable points out that “lack of any online presence” or making social media accounts private “may be reflective of evasiveness and call into question the applicant’s credibility.” The cable further directs that if the consular officer is not “personally and completely satisfied” that the applicant meets the requirements for the visa, the visa must be refused under INA 214(b).
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Secretary of State Targets Chinese Students
On May 28, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced “New Visa Policies Put America First, Not China,” stating DOS will work with DHS to “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” The press statement warns DOS “will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.” No further details on this policy have been released.
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USCIS Issues Guidance on Completing Form I-9 Given the End of TPS for Venezuelans
On May 19, 2025, in Noem, et al. v. National TPS Alliance, et al., the U.S. Supreme Court permitted the Trump Administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans. The court left open the door to challenges by migrants if the Trump administration tries to cancel Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) that were issued to expire in October 2026, the end of the TPS period extended by Biden. It remains to be seen whether the Administration will attempt to cancel EADs. On May 23, 2025, the Administration issued the following instructions on completing Form I-9 in light of the decision:
To complete or update Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, for TPS Venezuela beneficiaries who present an EAD with a Category Code of A12 or C19 and a Card Expires date of Sept. 10, 2025; April 2, 2025; March 10, 2024; or Sept. 9, 2022, enter April 2, 2026, pending relief from the court, on Form I-9 as the new expiration date of the automatically extended EAD. You must reverify these employees before they start work on April 3, 2026.
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Department of State Issues June 2025 Visa Bulletin with Limited Forward Movement for All Chargeability Areas in the EB-2 Category
For June 2025, USCIS determined that all Employment-Based (EB) preference categories must use the Final Action Dates chart in the Visa Bulletin. The Final Action chart for EB-2 has advanced by nearly 4 months for applicants from Mexico, the Philippines, and All Other Countries.
Contact us with questions about the visa bulletin.
DOS Rolled Out Two New Interview Availability Monitoring Tools
On April 29, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) introduced the Global Visit Wait Times tool and the Immigrant Visa (IV) Scheduling tool. The Global Visa Wait Times tool provides a monthly snapshot by consular post of the next available visa interview date for various visa categories and the average wait time for a B visa interview. The IV Scheduling tool provides information by post and visa category indicating the month and year recently scheduled cases became documentarily complete. Users can then compare the date their case became documentarily complete to suggest a timescale for their case.
The website cautions that because many factors go into scheduling an IV interview, the National Visa Center (NVC) cannot predict precisely when a particular case will be scheduled for an interview. It also notes that certain visa cases are not reflected in the IV tool, including: Diversity Visas, Afghan Special Immigrant Visas, I-601A provisional waivers and Adoptions.
Contact us with questions about these tools and wait times in general.
Partner and Co-Chair, Immigration and Global MobilityAbigail Walsh has over 20 years’ experience in a wide range of immigration matters. She represents multinational and domestic corporations, their employees and private individuals in business immigration matters before U.S ...
Partner and Co-Chair, Immigration and Global MobilityVictoria Donoghue has an extensive background in immigration law, advising clients on the full range of issues related to employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. Her experience includes handling complex Requests for ...