US tightens student visa rules

The US Embassy in Guyana has announced that effective immediately, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas, covering academic, vocational, and exchange students, are now required to make their social media profiles public.

The embassy says this is to help visa officers verify each applicant’s identity and determine their admissibility under US law.

The announcement follows a broader move by the US State Department last week, which resumed international student visa appointments with stricter screening protocols.

Visa officers are now instructed to review social media posts for any signs of hostility toward the US, its people, government, or values. Keeping accounts private may be seen as an attempt to conceal online behaviour.

The new policy comes after a brief pause in visa processing in late May, as the Trump administration prepared tougher vetting measures, citing concerns over national security, terrorism, and anti-Semitic threats.