The U.S. Department of State has temporarily paused the scheduling of student and exchange visitor visa appointments at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide as it develops expanded "social media screening and vetting.”
This means:
- Scheduling of new visa appointments for international students is on hold temporarily.
- Already scheduled visa appointments should be honored; as a result, incoming and continuing international students with appointments should be able to proceed as planned. Please check with your consulate beforehand to ensure no changes have been made to your appointment.
- Until the hold is lifted, if you are currently in the U.S. and have plans to travel abroad and need a visa renewal, we recommend that you do not travel at this time and wait until we have clarity on a new policy. If, however, you have a valid visa into the future that does not need renewal, please follow our travel tips and reminders.
The Department of State expects to update its guidance in the coming days. ISSO is monitoring this situation closely and is partnering with all Columbia Schools to support incoming and continuing international students as circumstances evolve.
Thousands of Columbia students, faculty, and staff have attended previous webinars with Immigration Attorney Dan Berger hosted by ISSO. The next webinar is next Tuesday June 3rd and all are invited to join.
We also encourage you to visit immigration.columbia.edu to learn more about the resources available, including expanded ISSO advising hours, the International Student Hardship Fund, and readily accessible and confidential student health and counseling services.
