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Updated on 06.06.2025
After the U.S. State Department recently stopped issuing new interview appointments for F, J and M visas, additional restrictions have now been placed on foreign nationals who wish to begin a new program at Harvard University.
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A Presidential Proclamation imposes significant restrictions for visa applicants and visa holders who wish to begin a new program at Harvard University.
In addition, interview appointments for F, J and M visas are still not available worldwide. The US consulates justify this with stricter security screening processes, especially in the area of social media, which are currently being implemented. This measure affects all applicants in these categories and is not exclusively limited to Harvard.
The presidential proclamation was temporarily blocked on June 5, 2025 by a temporary restraining order issued by US District Judge Allison Burroughs.
The injunction remains in force until a further court decision.
On June 4, 2025, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation entitled "Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University"which imposes significant restrictions on international students and researchers at Harvard University.
The Presidential Proclamation enters as of now in force. It suspends the issuance of F, J and M visas for new programs at Harvard University and prohibits affected persons from entering the country, even if a visa has already been issued.
The proclamation concerns all foreign nationals that are new at the Harvard University and
The applicant's country of origin is irrelevant.
In addition, the U.S. Department of State can revoke existing US visas in these categories for international Harvard members if they have not yet entered the country. However, this may also continue to affect groups of people who are already in the United States with the aforementioned US visas and who are classified as a security risk in the course of the security checks currently being carried out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS).
The proclamation does not apply to
In addition, individual exemptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis by the U.S. Secretary of State or U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security if there is a proven US national interest.
The US government justifies the measure with national security interests. According to the statement, Harvard had not cooperated sufficiently with the authorities in passing on security-related information about international students. In addition, there had been an increase in violent incidents on campus, to which the university had not responded appropriately. According to the government, financial donations from abroad, particularly from China, also raised concerns – especially with regard to possible influence on research and technology.
Harvard described the measure as unconstitutional and filed a lawsuit against the US government. Other universities and organizations (national and international) also expressed criticism and warned of negative effects on international academic exchange.
As mentioned, the application of the proclamation was temporarily halted on June 5, 2025 by an injunction issued by a US federal court.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had already previously revoked Harvard's SEVP certification and SEVIS registration. This would have meant that Harvard would no longer have been able to accept international students and researchers under F and J visas.
However, a US district court temporarily halted this measure with a temporary injunction. Currently, F, J and M visa holders who are already in the United States or who are continuing an "existing" program are still legally protected. The final court decision is still pending.
At the same time, due to the introduction of additional social media screening measures at US consulates worldwide, no F, J or M visa interview appointments can currently be scheduled.
The proclamation thus represents an additional measure that is specifically directed against Harvard University.
On May 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued a wide-ranging directive requiring all US embassies and consulates worldwide to stop issuing new visa interview appointments for F Academic Student, J Exchange Visitor and M Vocational or Nonacademic Student visas until further notice.
This measure is part of a comprehensive review of the internal screening and examination procedures in the visa application process and affects all new applicants – for example international students, researchers and participants in Au Pair or High School programs. But also people who would like to complete an internship in the US and thus numerous companies with locations or business relationships in the United States.
The instruction was signed by means of an internal letter (cable "Action Request: Enhanced Screening and Social Media Vetting for Visa Applicants") and issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. US consulates worldwide were instructed to remove unbooked appointment slots in the above-mentioned categories from the system.
There are various challenges for the groups of people affected:
Initial feedback from customers who have made appointments at US consulates in recent days shows a somewhat mixed picture.
The majority of applicants who had already scheduled appointments prior to the decree were able to complete the interview as planned. Some people were merely informed that there could be delays in further visa processing (i.e. return of the passport including visa). An increased refusal rate – at least in the European US consulates – has not yet been recorded.
Some applicants have reported that the US consulates have canceled appointments that had already been booked at short notice – although these are still exceptional cases to date.
Due to these different procedures, we recommend that all applicants who already have scheduled F, J or M appointments should check the websites of the relevant US consulates regularly and keep a close eye on e-mail correspondence (for possible appointment cancellations or postponements, which can also occur at short notice). Appointments should not be postponed, as it is generally not possible to book new appointments if an appointment is canceled independently.
Persons who urgently need an F, J or M interview appointment should already have completed all application steps so that they can act quickly when new appointments become available. This means submitting the DS-160 and creating an online profile, if possible. Log in to your profile as regularly as possible to check whether new appointments have been activated.
As a specialized agency for US visas, we monitor developments on a daily basis, check the official channels and can immediately identify changes in the appointment booking system for our customers.
The background to the short-term blocking of appointments is that the US government is planning to check the social media activities of visa applicants in categories F, J or M even more intensively in future. This is part of more comprehensive security checks, which will also include analyzing public online statements.
These enhanced security screenings are to be introduced as part of the visa application process at US consulates worldwide – new dates for the affected categories will only be released after implementation. The U.S. State Department announced that the expanded social media screenings will impact consular operations, processes and resource allocation.
Social media screening affects both visa applicants and holders of F, J and M visas who are currently in the United States.
It is not yet clear exactly what this means in practice and how these measures will be implemented in detail. Additional requirements are possible, such as the provision of certain security-relevant documents, even more comprehensive requests about social media activities and even longer processing times or waiting times for the return of passports due to more intensive preliminary checks of social media channels.
Individuals who are in the United States on an F, J or M visa could, in the worst case, have their visa revoked and lose their valid residence status.
In addition, the U.S. Department of State has announced that it will increasingly revoke the F and J visas of Chinese students in the USA.
People with links to the Chinese Communist Party or those working in sensitive areas such as artificial intelligence or engineering are particularly affected. In addition, new visa applications from China and Hong Kong will be subject to stricter checks in future, including an extended review of social media activities.
US universities and educational institutions warn of the negative impact on research, innovation and the economic importance of international students.
The current developments - including stricter social media checks for F, J and M visas (especially for Chinese nationals), appointment blocking at US consulates and the temporary withdrawal of SEVP certification for Harvard - are in the context of an increased security focus of US immigration policy.
One of the triggers for the stricter controls are the nationwide protests at US universities, in which international students also took part. The US government emphasizes that visa applications will be checked more intensively in future for security-related aspects, including the analysis of social media activities. In the case of Harvard, reference was made to alleged failures in dealing with campus-related protests.
The latest measures taken by the US government show how quickly general conditions can change in the visa application process. This makes it all the more important to plan this early and work with the most flexible time frames possible.
Individuals who are looking to undertake training or further education in the United States as well as companies with a connection to the US and their interns should not be unsettled now, but should rely on reliable advice and up-to-date information. We recommend not to cancel planned programs prematurely, but to wait and see how things develop.
In particular, F, J and M applicants or travelers for new programs at Harvard University should coordinate closely with the administration there.
We will continue to be at your side as a reliable partner. Our US Visa Service team is working in the system every day, recognizes changes at an early stage and keeps our customers informed on an ongoing basis. As soon as new appointments are released, we act quickly and try to secure interview slots immediately.
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