You’ve probably read or heard news reports regarding a freeze on interviews for students seeking a variety of visas for the USA. I wanted to share some information relevant to our students planning to arrive this year.
1. What’s Happening?
- News reports indicate that the U.S. State Department has instructed embassies and consulates not to release new appointment slots for student and exchange visitor visas (F, M, and J visas).
- This pause is to allow for anticipated updates to social media screening protocols.
2. What It Means for AFS Students
- Students who already have visa appointments: Their interviews, thus far, are not affected and should proceed as scheduled.
- Students who have not yet scheduled appointments: They may temporarily find no available slots. They should continue to check regularly for openings.
3. What We Know (and Don’t Know)
- We only know what’s been reported in the news. No formal or detailed guidance has been issued yet.
- It is unclear how long this pause will last or how it might impact visa issuance timelines.
4. What AFS is Doing
- We’re monitoring the situation closely.
- We are asking our AFS international partners to:
- Continue helping participants secure appointments as soon as slots become available.
- Assist AFS-USA in tracking visa appointment progress and/or delays.
- Continue to advise their students to exercise care when posting to social media, avoiding sensitive and/or political topics.
5. How to Advise Host Families
- Emphasize facts, not fear: this is a temporary pause in scheduling, not a program cancellation.
- Encourage optimism: many students already have appointments or their visas already in hand, and we expect more appointments to open soon.
As always, AFS-USA will continue to support our students, AFS partners, and volunteers through this uncertainty and we remain hopeful that delays will be minimal. Thank you for your continued efforts toward securing host family placements for all of our students.
With warm regards,
Tara Hofmann
CEO and President
AFS-USA