June 19, 2025: Resumption of F and J Visa Appointments
Updated: 6/27/2025
On June 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of State issued听 announcing that under newly released official guidance, consular officers will conduct a 鈥渃omprehensive and thorough vetting鈥 of all student and exchange visitor applicants, and that all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be required to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to 鈥減ublic.鈥 The U.S. Department of State also stated that they have directed U.S. embassies and consulates to resume conducting student visas (F-1 and J-1) and Exchange Visitor (J-1) visa interviews and to reopen the scheduling of new visa appointments.
Due to this new guidance from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. embassies and consulates are required to conduct extensive social media vetting for all F, M, and J visa applicants. As a result, many visa applications may be initially refused under section 221(g) of the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA) and subject to 鈥渁dministrative processing鈥 so that the consular officer may do the additional mandatory screening.听Unfortunately, there鈥檚 no set timeline for how long the screening will take. ISSS knows the uncertainty can be frustrating, and we鈥檙e here to support students as best we can. In the meantime, a student subject to a 221(g) refusal should monitor their听 closely and respond to any requests from the embassy or consulate. Students can review the information on the听ISSS administrative processing website for general information on what a refusal under 221(g) of the INA means.听
ISSS is closely monitoring the situation. Even with this updated information, given the fast-changing nature of current immigration policies, we strongly advise current CU Boulder international students and scholars in F-1 or J-1 status to听reconsider any international travel plans.
We encourage all students and scholars to:
- Carefully review the听ISSS Travel Webpage.
- Read our听General Travel Advisory听for important guidance.
- Read about the recent U.S. entry restriction for citizens of certain countries.
- Stay alert to potential policy changes by regularly checking your CU email and monitoring our听Immigration Alerts page.
ISSS will share updates as soon as more information becomes available.