INDIAN CITIZENS APPLYING for U.S. F, M or J student visas must make their social media accounts public before the visa interview, according to the U.S. Embassy in India. The U.S. grants F visas for academic courses, M visas for vocational courses and J visas for exchange programs.
The U.S. administration directed embassies in May to halt student visa appointments while expanding scrutiny of applicants’ social media, according to a BBC report.
“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M or J non-immigrant visa are requested to set the privacy settings of all their social media accounts to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting required to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law,” the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi posted on X.
“Since 2019, the U.S. has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and non-immigrant visa application forms,” the diplomatic mission of Washington, D.C., in New Delhi said. “We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security.”
The U.S. consular team in India issued more than 140,000 F-1 student visas in 2023—the highest for any country for the third consecutive year. The consulates in Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai were the top four student visa processing posts globally. Indian students became the largest group of international graduate students in the U.S., making up over a quarter of the more than one million foreign students.
In 2024, India became the top sender of international students to the U.S. for the first time since 2008–09, with more than 331,000 enrolled. Graduate student numbers rose 19 percent to nearly 200,000, keeping India the largest source for the second year.
However, President Donald Trump’s administration moved to restrict the flow of foreign students to the U.S., subjecting visa applications to increased scrutiny, especially following protests against Israel’s military action in Gaza affecting Palestinian civilians.
On June 19, the U.S. Embassy said a visa is “a privilege, not a right,” and screening continues after issuance. Authorities may revoke a visa if the traveler breaks the law. It also said using illegal drugs or violating U.S. laws while on a student or visitor visa could make one ineligible for future visas.
Ranjani Srinivasan, a graduate student at Columbia University, self-deported from the U.S. after her visa was revoked over alleged participation in protests against Israel’s military action in Gaza. Badar Khan Suri, another Indian student, was arrested during a similar protest at Georgetown University in March, but a U.S. court stayed his deportation and ordered his release from detention.
A remittance clause in President Trump’s proposed “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” has recently raised concerns among Indians working in the U.S.
Travel advisory to India
The U.S. government issued a Level 2 travel advisory for India on June 16 urging citizens to “exercise increased caution” due to crime and terrorist threats. The advisory cites rising incidents of rape and other violent crimes, including sexual assaults at tourist sites.
It also includes warnings for areas along the India–Pakistan border and rural regions with terrorist activity.
In May, more than 50 percent of bookings were reportedly canceled in major Indian cities after “Operation Sindoor,” India’s response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
