The U.S. State Department has canceled about 85,000 visas in the last year, which has affected many foreign citizens and international students in a way that’s never happened before.
Government officials say the increase in visa cancellations is because of greater worries about public safety.
However, groups that support immigrants say these new rules might unfairly target people who aren’t actually a danger.
A State Department official confirmed that more than 8,000 international students were affected by these changes, which is more than double the number from the previous year.
Some of the visa cancellations were because of serious offenses like drunk driving, assault, and theft. But officials also said the big increase is because of stricter checks and a stronger position on behavior that is seen as a risk to security.
The official said, “These are people we believe could directly harm community safety,” and added that consular officers have been told to look more closely at any behavior that might affect someone’s visa approval.
The new rules apply to several types of visas. Recently, the government told consular offices to check more carefully for H-1B visa applicants, which are often used by tech companies and other businesses that need skilled workers from other countries.
According to internal guidelines shared by U.S. media, consular officers are also told to reject visas for people involved in actions that “block or stop protected speech” in the U.S. Immigration experts say this standard is very broad and hard to assess.