Indian Students Are Deleting Social Media Posts, Accounts For US Visas: Report

Indian students are increasingly growing anxious over the Trump administration's plans to mandate social media vetting before approving visas for all international students seeking to study in the United States. 

Social-media vetting is a process included by the Trump administration in the visa application course to assess their suitability to enter the United States. The platforms that go through this vetting are - Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok, among others.

This change comes amid pro-Palestine protests and anti-Semitic demonstrations on US college campuses last year after Israel launched a bombing campaign on Gaza after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Students are not just deleting posts, fearing that their political jokes, views and activism might be misinterpreted during visa interviews, but also entire accounts. 

Applicants fear that even a casual comment or harmless posts could be taken into consideration to reject their visa applications. Visa counsellors warn that liking or sharing content deemed inadmissible by US authorities could also lead to visa rejections. They also inform that such sudden deletion could also raise eyebrows.

Mamta Shekhawat, founder of Gradding.com, told India Today, "Immigration authorities require student visa applicants to provide their social media handles for the previous five years, allowing them to make character evaluations and determine whether and how the applicant's professional and academic background matches the visa objectives.”

Speaking about humorous posts, she said that, "Such a casual approach would not be deemed appropriate across borders. Even the smallest hint of political or violent activism, or controversial remarks, can be counted as suspicious when piled together during the scrutiny of the visa application."

She also advised students to keep a check on their digital footprint. "However, experts warn that suddenly deleting content might raise red flags. Hence, the advice is to strive for a balance between authenticity and aspirational online behaviour," she further added.

The US government is using artificial intelligence to identify and cancel visas of foreign students who “appear to support” terror groups.

"Don't like, comment on, or share posts that could be misinterpreted. Refrain from joining, posting about, or engaging with political movements online. Even sharing someone else's opinion can be viewed as an endorsement," Meenal Damani, an education consultant said.

Suraj (name changed on request) said that he was very vocal about politics on Linkedin, so he decided to delete his account after his visa counsellor warned that it could put him in trouble. “One of the first things I did when I applied for my student visa was to delete my LinkedIn profile," he added. He has recently been selected for a master's programme at an Ivy League university. "As soon as I applied, I stopped attending protests. Even a single picture online could lead to my visa being rejected," he told the Indian Express.

Another PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University, wiped his social media account after a US university paused his post-doctoral appointment. The deleted posts include pro-Palestine content, Gaza casualty figures, and an article on rising right-wing authoritarianism, according to The Print. "You don't know what will offend them," he said. He had also uninstalled several apps from his phone.