Your tweets could cost you US visa: USCIS targets social media posts

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a new policy that could significantly impact international students seeking to study in the United States.

According to the new regulations, social media posts may lead to the rejection or revocation of student visas.

USCIS has stated that it will examine social media accounts and deny visas or residence permits to individuals who post content considered anti-Semitic by the US government.

As DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin emphasized, “There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here.”

Under this policy, posts that support militant groups labeled as terrorists by the United States, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi insurgents, will be considered a negative factor in determining eligibility for US visas.

The USCIS statement that highlighted they "will consider social media content that indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting anti-Semitic terrorism, anti-Semitic terrorist organizations, or other anti-Semitic activity as a negative factor" when determining immigration benefits.

This change takes effect immediately, impacting both student visa applications and green card requests.

The new policy follows reports that the Trump administration recently canceled the visas of hundreds of international students in the US.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he has stripped visas from around 300 individuals, noting that it was at his discretion, not that of judges, to issue or deny visas.