US Embassy in Seoul resumes student visa applications with stricter social media screening

People line up in front of the US Embassy in Seoul in Jongno District on May 28 2025 Yonhap — Visa applicants wait in line at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on May 28, 2025. Yonhap

SEOUL, June 20 (AJP) - The U.S. Embassy in Seoul reportedly resumed accepting visa applications on Friday, about weeks after its sudden halt to scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants late last month.

But the resumption appears to come with stricter "vetting" procedures including mandatory social media screening for students planning to study in the U.S.

According to a notice on its website, all individuals applying for nonimmigrant visas are "requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to 'public' to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law," which takes effect immediately.

The new requirement follows an announcement by the U.S. Department of State earlier this week, in which staff at U.S. embassies and consulates were instructed to screen visa applicants for any indications of "hostility" toward the U.S., as part of measures to tighten the screening of foreigners who may pose a threat to U.S. national security.

But the State Department offered no details on how "hostility" will be assessed.

Kim Hee-su khs@ajunews.com