The federal government has begun verifying the online activities of foreign nationals applying for Harvard University student visas, political media outlet Politico reported on the 30th. According to the report, the State Department sent a diplomatic cable to U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, instructing them to “completely review the online activities of all individuals applying for nonimmigrant visas to come to Harvard for any purpose.”
The measure, which went into effect immediately, primarily targets foreign students, but also includes Harvard faculty, researchers, staff, and invited speakers.
Politico explained that this measure is a pilot program that could be expanded to other universities across the United States. The verification will examine the social media (SNS) of the visa applicant for anti-Semitism.
Earlier, on the 27th, the State Department sent a telegram to diplomatic missions around the world to announce that it would temporarily suspend new student and exchange visitor visa interviews and prepare to expand and strengthen social media screening, and this measure is putting this into practice.
In particular, the State Department instructed consular officers to consider that if (the applicant) has no online activity at all and if the social media account is set to private or has limited publicity, this may reflect an attempt to evade (verification) and raise doubts about the applicant’s credibility.