Trini students in panic over US visa social media policy

Students and student-athletes from TT have begun to panic as their hopes of studying in the US appear to be in jeopardy.

This growing concern follows a directive from the US State Department on May 27 instructing embassies and consulates worldwide to temporarily halt new appointments for student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants.

The temporary pause, the State Department said has been implemented as part of an effort to "expand social media screening and vetting" for prospective student visa applicants.

According to data from Open Doors, a data resource on international educational exchange, specifically focusing on international students and scholars in the US and US students studying abroad, 1,126,690 international students went to the US to study in 2023/24 which accounted for 5.9 per cent of all students. Read More