Thousands of Kenyan and East African students face uncertainty as the US government has paused scheduling new visa interviews for international students, threatening their plans to study in the United States in the summer and fall of 2025. This move is part of a broader effort by the US State Department to expand social media vetting for visa applicants, a policy currently piloted on prospective Harvard students but expected to be rolled out nationwide.
The directive, issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 27, 2025, instructs US embassies and consulates worldwide to halt the addition of new student and exchange visitor visa appointment slots until further guidance is provided. While students with already scheduled visa interviews are reportedly not affected, many new applicants have had their appointments cancelled or delayed, causing growing anxiety among prospective students and their families.
Kenyan students have been increasingly enrolling in US institutions over the past decade, with numbers reaching a record high of 4,507 in the 2023/24 academic year. The visa freeze threatens to disrupt scholarship timelines, campus planning, and the financial and emotional investments made by these students and their families.
US education stakeholders, including the American Council on Education and the Presidents’ Alliance, have expressed grave concerns that the pause harms not only students but also the US’s international reputation as a welcoming destination for talented scholars. They urge the State Department to expedite the implementation of new vetting measures and resume visa processing swiftly to avoid further damage to international student enrollment.
The expanded social media vetting, which has been in place since 2019 but is now being intensified, reportedly includes scrutiny of political activities such as participation in pro-Palestinian protests. This enhanced screening has raised fears of increased visa rejections, particularly affecting students from Africa, where the rejection rate for student visas was already over 57% in the 2023 fiscal year.
The visa interview freeze is seen as a continuation of the Trump administration’s tough immigration stance, which has included revoking Harvard University’s authority to enroll international students—a decision currently blocked by a federal court—and expanding grounds for terminating international students’ legal status in the US.
In Kenya, university counselors report panic among students uncertain whether to accept offers, defer admission, or seek alternatives, highlighting the immediate and practical consequences of the US visa interview suspension on East African students’ educational futures.
In summary, the ongoing US visa interview freeze and expanded social media vetting pose significant challenges for Kenyan and East African students aspiring to study in the US, with potential long-term impacts on educational opportunities and international academic exchange between the regions.
