U.S. Department of State Pauses Student Visa Interviews

On the evening of May 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) directed all U.S. Embassies and Consulates to pause adding any student or exchange visitor visa appointments (F, M, and J categories) not already scheduled until further notice and additional guidance is issued to them by DOS. This instruction has been given in preparation for an expansion of social media screening and vetting during the visa interview process. It is not known exactly what this expanded screening and vetting will include, but we encourage you to read our previous post regarding this issue here.  It’s also unclear how long the pause in student visa appointments will last.  

Individuals in F, M or J visa categories already physically present in the U.S. are not impacted.  Individuals in other visa categories also are not impacted.  

If you have any international travel plans or plan to apply for a U.S. visa stamp in the above-mentioned categories, please contact our office before departing the U.S., or prior to your interview if you have an appointment already scheduled, to discuss on an individual basis.