What Trump's changes to student visas mean for Irish J1 applicants this summer

US President Donald Trump's administration has ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as the State Department prepares to expand social media vetting of foreign students, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the cable that the department plans to issue updated guidance on social media vetting of student and exchange visitor applicants after a review is completed and advised consular sections to halt the scheduling of such visa appointments.

What does it mean for Irish students who've applied for J1s?

In the cable, first reported by Politico, Rubio said appointments that have already been scheduled can proceed under the current guidelines, but available appointments not already taken should be pulled down.

That should mean if you are one of the estimated 5,000 Irish students travelling to the US on J1s and who have already been interviewed for this summer, you are likely to be unaffected.

It should also mean that those with pre-booked appointments are likely to be processed. However, it is worthwhile contacting the likes of Usit, which specialises in J1 visas for students.

The problem is with those who have yet to make a booking for interview, as these have been paused.

"The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants," the cable said.

A senior State Department official confirmed the accuracy of the cable.

What might the new vetting regime entail? 

The cable did not spell out what the vetting would look for and State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on reports of the cable. However, she said the US will use "every tool" to vet anyone who wants to enter the United States.

"We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that's coming here, whether they are students or otherwise," Bruce said.

Trump administration officials have said student visa and green card holders are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, calling their actions a threat to US foreign policy and accusing them of being pro-Hamas.

The Trump administration had already enhanced its vetting of student social media, according to a report by the Guardian in March, which linked the move to a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campuses.

In April, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that it would consider "antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests".

The expanded social media vetting will require consular sections to modify their operations, processes and allocation of resources, according to the cable.

It advises the sections going forward to take into consideration the workload and resource requirements of each case before scheduling them. The cable also advises consular sections to remain focused on services for US citizens, immigrant visas and fraud prevention. - (Additional reporting: Reuters)