Your social networks against a visa: to study in the United States, you must now make all your profiles online public

Laura is 18 years old. Consequently, is about to spend the year of her life: a year in the United States, after her rhetoric. Nevertheless, She embarks on the procedure to obtain a visa. Similarly, A simple travel authorization (ESTA) is not enough in this case. Therefore, She must apply for a student visa.

It completes the online form. Furthermore, And. In addition, a little stressed, she goes to her appointment at the American Embassy in Brussels, to meet the consular agent who has to examine his request. Meanwhile, She comes out with a paper. For example, struck by the seal of the United States Department of State (the equivalent of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs), indicating: “This office regrets to inform you that it is unable to issue a visa to you”.

It is a refusal. His request “requires administrative treatment your social networks against visa: “. The lady who receives her enjoins her to put her accounts on social networks in public mode. and tells her that she will be informed later. Laura is running: it is her year that is at stake. She will finally get her visa.

“Drink the Americans”

Since 2019. people wishing to obtain a visa in the United States had to provide their identifiers on social networks. But on June 18. the State Department announced the strengthening of its measures to control people who want to enter its territory.

The United States now performs a complete. in-depth verification, “including online “ of all students (in secondary and university), researchers participating in exchange programs and people who come to work like “au pair” (Visas f-m and j). “In order to facilitate this verificationnoted the statement of the State Department. toThey candidates for visas f, m and j will be invited your social networks against visa: to settle the confidentiality parameters of all their profiles on social networks on ‘public’.”

Any decision to grant a visa is “a question of national security”, justifies the State Department. The United States must ensure “That people who ask to enter US territory do not intend to harm the Americans. our national interests.” “An American visa is a privilege, and not a right“is it recalled in the preamble.

An American visa is a privilege. and not a right

US State Department

“This is part of a more global context of conflict between the Trump administration and the major universities “reminds Serge Jaumain, Professor of contemporary history at the ULB and co -director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Study of the Americas (Americas). The American government has indeed saved in subsidies to American universities. and tries to put them in step, when it is not downright in open conflict your social networks against visa: with them, as with the prestigious University of Harvard.

American campuses were also the epicenter of demonstrations of support in Gaza in the United States. For the Trump administration, they are gangrenized by anti -Semitism.

It is therefore in this context that the granting of visas for foreign students (numerous to come. spend a year after their secondary, like Laura, but also to study within universities in world renown) had initially been completely suspended, in May, before resuming with these new conditions.

Your social networks against visa:

Self -censorship

Serge Jaumain chairs the Scientific Council of the Institute of Americas in Paris. an institute which brings together researchers who work on the Americas and which offers one of the doctoral scholarships. “”There is really a concern among students. In addition to hesitating on the choice of the subject of their doctoral thesis if he concerns themes rejected by Trump (questions of your social networks against visa: gender. immigration, social equity, etc.), They are now cautious on social networks. It causes real self -censorship.”