By Abiola Olawvale
The government of the United States has announced its decision to temporarily stop student visa appointments globally.
This development was announced in a directive issued by the US State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The directive said student visa interviews would be suspended, pending the implementation of expanded social media vetting protocols.
In the directive, the categories of visas affected are F, M, and J visas
“Effective immediately… consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued,” the directive reads.
The New Diplomat reports that this policy shift could disrupt the academic aspirations of thousands of Nigerian students planning to study in American universities.
This is as Nigeria is one of the top countries sending students to the US, with thousands of undergraduates and graduates enrolled across US institutions.
According to the latest data, India has the largest number of international students enrollment in the United States with 331, 602 in 2023/2024 academic session. This was followed by China with 277,398 students. Nigeria, on the other hand, recorded 20, 029 number of its nationals registered as international students in the United States for 2023/2024 academic session.
According to experts, the total number of international students from these three countries might likely increase in the current academic year. This implies more than 630,000 potential students might be affected under the current halt in visa interviews.
This latest directive adds to a series of measures by the administration of US President Donald Trump aimed at tightening the screening process for international students.
