Availability of interview appointments for student and exchange visitor visas will depend on how quickly US consulates can adopt new screening procedures mandated by the State Department.
The agency directed consular offices to adopt those policies within five business days in a June 18 cable obtained by Bloomberg Law.
Among the new requirements, visa applicants must make social media profiles public for screening as part of measures to identify applicants with hostile attitudes towards the US government or institutions. Limited access or visibility of those online profiles could be seen as an attempt to hide certain activities, the cable said. ...