U.S. State Department Halts New Visa Appointments for Students and Exchange Visitors

We want to address the recent directive issued by the U.S. State Department instructing embassies worldwide to temporarily pause the scheduling of new appointments for F, M, and J visas while they work to implement new social media screening procedures.
We understand how concerning this pause is — for au pairs, host families and agencies alike.

It is our understanding that visa appointments that are already scheduled should proceed as normal, unless the candidate is instructed otherwise by the embassy or consulate. And from what we heard so far, already scheduled visa appointments were treated normally and no raise of denials was noticed. However, the ability to schedule new appointments is currently not functional or is defaulting to a date much too far in the future. At this point we do not have information about how long this pause will last.

At IAPA, we are monitoring the situation closely and are already in contact with our U.S. colleagues to better understand the reasoning, timeline, and potential implications of this decision. We are committed to doing everything we can to support our members and to advocate for the swift resumption of visa services.

We know how vital the U.S. is for many of your programs, and we share your concern for the young people whose cultural exchange experiences are now uncertain. These programs are not only transformative for the participants but are also essential in building understanding and global cooperation.

We will continue to stay informed, raise our voice where possible, and keep you updated with any relevant developments. In the meantime, we encourage you to remain in close contact with your U.S. partners and host organizations, and we stand ready to support you in any way we can.

Reuters´ article: “Trump administration halts scheduling of new student visa appointments”